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Caring For Aging Parents – Solutions For The Sandwich Generation

by: Gregory Weldy

You have a parent-teacher conference that was supposed to start 15 minutes ago, but you’re still tied up with Mom at her physical therapy session. Since science can’t yet clone you, you’ll need to find eldercare solutions that work for you.

If you care for your own children in addition to caring for aging parents, you’re a card-carrying member of what’s called the sandwich generation. You have unique challenges, and these tips will help you meet them.

• Find adult day care services or other senior services – Keep Mom physically and mentally engaged by finding a good quality center that caters to the senior set. These centers, which you can locate through your local aging agency, offer field trips, educational classes, and exercise programs designed especially for seniors. For many families, these facilities become an important part of their eldercare solution.

• Consider non-medical home care – When you’re caring for aging parents who are relatively healthy but need help with simple daily tasks, these services can be a god-send. Professional caregivers can shampoo Mom’s hair or remind Gramps to take medication. These services can also provide companionship as part of an eldercare solution. For example, a caregiver might watch a movie with Mom while you visit a friend.

• Rally family and friends to help – If you work while caring for aging parents, it may well take a village to provide good care. Have an informal family meeting to divvy up responsibilities for Dad’s care. From teens who can help him shop to siblings who can drive him to appointments, family and friends are a crucial part of caring for aging parents.

In addition, 2/3 of caregivers report they’ve missed work due to a care crisis, so find a support network that can spring into action when Dad’s not feeling well, minimizing the time you lose at work because of caring for aging parents.

Remember that family and friends may do things a bit differently than you. For instance, that meatloaf you asked your spouse to make might turn out tasting like low-quality cardboard. Don’t complain about the effort. Instead be thankful that he or she decided to help!

• Enlist professional services – Eldercare solutions aren’t cheap, even if you decide to care for Dad at home. In fact, some experts estimate it can cost nearly $16,500 each and every year to cover the cost of both child care and elder care. In addition, 58% of those caring for an aging parent say their parent does not have enough money to support their own needs. Don’t put your family in the poorhouse. Talk to a professional financial advisor with expertise in counseling children caring for an aging parent.

Also consider advising your parent to file a living will or medical power of attorney to head off family feuds regarding Mom’s health care wishes. She’ll feel better knowing her wants are in writing and you’ll feel better knowing you took the time to plan an eldercare solution.

Caring for aging parents can be stressful for the sandwich generation, but there are resources that make the job less likely to trigger new gray hairs. Plan your eldercare solution now.

See Also:

Caring For An Aging Parent – Tips For Easing The Burden
Scary. Exhausting. Life-changing. These are just a few of the thoughts that run through an adult child’s head when they start to think about caring for an aging parent.

Seniors' Needs Are Similar To Younger Adults In Many Ways But Considerably Different In Others
Seniors have the same needs everyone else has. They need food, shelter, some secure income, friends, something to keep them entertained, and good medical care. But it is also true that seniors may have other needs like handicapped accessibility at home, help with house keeping and shopping, or even skilled nursing and medical care.

Falls And The Elderly
More than one in three people age 65 years or older fall each year. The risk of falling and thus fall-related injuries rises proportionally with age. Each year, more than 1.6 million older persons go to US emergency departments for fall-related injuries.

Senior Drivers - How to Facilitate Your Aging Parent Understand When it is No longer Safe to Drive
Elderly drivers can be a real problem to themselves and others on the road. As we age one of the hardest things to do is give up our independence. Convincing your aging parents the time has come to quit driving is not easy.

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About the Author:

Gregory Weldy is an expert on guiding families through the tough choices and challenges of caring for aging parents. He has written an amazing Free report called, "Nursing Home Nightmares: Challenges of Caring For An Aging Parent". To claim you FREE copy, visit: http://www.BestElderCareAtHome.com

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