We are headed into the Thanksgiving Season and there are many reasons to give thanks. For those who have families; cherish your parents, spouse and children and know not every day is going to be \u201cperfect\u201d. Sometimes, the obtainable is not a perfect day, but only a perfect moment; cherish that moment. Life today is active, especially for women aged 45 \u2014 55 who care for both their parents and children. These are the people caught in the \u201csandwich generation\u201d.
\nLife changes in the aging process, sometimes moms or dads become the main caregiver for their spouses. Sometimes a child becomes the main caregiver for a parent. These times are tough; almost like a bad dream. At that time, look for \u201cperfect moments\u201d. Also, at that time, it becomes most important to care for the one most neglected one \u2014 \u201courselves\u201d.
\nOne disease requiring a great deal of caregiving is Alzheimer\u2019s. A Stanford School of Medicine study showed: caregiving responsibilities for Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia can last 10 \u2014 15 years.
\nDuring that time caregivers often ignored their personal health and experienced mental health issues such as depression, substance abuse, and a number of physical problems. Their researchers showed that Alzheimer\u2019s caregivers have a 63% higher mortality than non-caregivers. In fact, 40% of the caregivers die from stress-related health issues prior to the patient dying.
\nIf you have a parent caring for another, reach out. Observe, see what they need. Bring supplies, groceries, dinners. Prepare yourself with information on the health issue your loved one has.
\nBe prepared to help with whatever is needed. Don\u2019t wait for your parent to ask; they probably won\u2019t. Tell them you will be there to help and visit with the patient during a specific time. Give the caregiver permission to leave for a couple of hours. If you cannot find the time to help in this manner, hire a home care sitter for three or four hours as a gift.
\nThe motivational writer and speaker, John Maxwell, talk about easing the stress of life by planning. Even while caring for a loved one, time must be planned for the caregiver. Whether it\u2019s an Alzheimer\u2019s support group, church activity, shopping trip, a movie or stopping in at the library, caregivers must take time for themselves. This is all part of planning our life.
\nWould you take a substantial trip without planning ahead. You probably plan for holidays such as Thanksgiving; where the day will be held, who\u2019s coming, and what food will be served.
\nLife is a broader view of this. A plan allows someone to stay focused and stay on course. In a caregiver\u2019s situation, planning allows for relief of stress of the unknown, and time just to unwind from the stress of providing care. John Maxwell says: \u201clife is not a dress rehearsal, you only get to do it one time.\u201d Make your \u201cone time the best it can be. This column is for a special friend \u2014 make time for yourself.
\nCoordinating care for your children and parents simultaneously is not easy. What can you do to manage this? Three words of advice: Plan, Plan, and Plan. Legal, financial, residential, mental, and physical healthcare elements must be addressed prior to a crisis. A sandwich generationer should guide their parent through these issues and the primary issue of safety while being careful not to take all control away from a parent. Once again, it is important to start talking, making suggestions and guiding early, do not wait for a crisis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lending a Hand to Caregivers of Elderly Parents We are headed into the Thanksgiving Season and there are many reasons to give thanks. For those who have families; cherish your parents, spouse and children and know not every day is going to be \u201cperfect\u201d. Sometimes, the obtainable is not a perfect day, but only a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[76,79,85,88,73,91],"class_list":["post-1154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-caregiving","tag-alzheimer","tag-caregiver","tag-healthcare","tag-john-maxwell","tag-parents","tag-sandwich-generation"],"yoast_head":"\n