Cooperative Living February 2019 - 22

HealthyTake
Survival Tips for 'Sandwich
Generation' Caregivers
S
ally is a caregiver to her elderly mother, who has
Alzheimer's disease. She is also the mother of two
teenage sons and works full-time supervising a multimillion-dollar
program. Between her job, taking her sons to
after-school activities and caring for her mother, she has little
time for her own hobbies and interests.
Sally sometimes has trouble finding time to exercise and
manage her health conditions, being that she is " sandwiched "
between the needs of an aging parent and the challenges of
raising children. She is part of the sandwich generation,
traditionally defined as those who are at the same time caring
for an aging parent and raising a child under the age of 18 years.
The Pew Research Center has reported that a little more than
1 in 8 Americans are both raising a child and caring for a
parent, and there are 7 to 10 million adults caring for an aging
parent who lives far away.
Take care
of yourself
so that you
can take care
of others.
Establishing a work-life balance may be even more difficult
for those with caregiving responsibilities. Consequently, many
working caregivers have to change their job situation in order
to make time for their caregiving tasks. Often these changes
include reducing working hours, taking a leave of absence,
downgrading to a less demanding job or turning down a
promotion. In some cases, working caregivers may lose job
benefits by reducing work hours, receive warnings about
performance and attendance, retire early or leave the workforce
entirely. All told, not being at work, lost productivity and
replacement costs among caregivers of older persons is believed
to cost U.S. businesses $34 billion per year.
Caregiving can take a toll on health. Caregivers report higher
levels of depression, anxiety and lower quality of life. Research
has shown that 17 percent of caregivers rate their health as " fair "
or " poor " compared to 10 percent of non-caregivers.
If you are a working caregiver, here are some tips to help reduce stress and improve your well-being:
* Talk to your employer. Let your manager know your needs
related to caregiving. Make it clear that you are committed
to your job and want to find ways to remain productive.
Work with your employer to see if you can change to a
more flexible work schedule or work from home.
* Resist being by yourself and accept help. Find support in
and out of work. Join community caregiver groups for
emotional support and seek out local resources for help.
Take advantage of resources, such as respite care and
adult day care, to coordinate caregiving within your
family and support network.
* Talk with your family and friends about your loved one who
20 | Cooperative Living | February 2019
20 | Cooperative Living | October 2018
needs care. Sometimes families can feel neglected, so be
sure they understand the demands on your time and are
supportive by helping out with chores and other activities.
* Take care of yourself so that you can take care of others.
As often as you can, get enough sleep. Eat sensibly, use
alcohol in moderation and exercise. Take a break when
the pressure gets too great, even if it's just a hot bath or a
short walk. Walking with a buddy can cover two needs at
once - friendship and exercise. 
Source: cdc.gov/aging/caregiving
co-opliving.com
co-opliving.com

http://www.cdc.gov/aging/caregiving http://www.co-opliving.com http://www.co-opliving.com

Cooperative Living February 2019

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