How to Balance Caring for Elder and Younger Family Members Simultaneously

About 47 percent of adults in the US aged 40 to 50 cares for both the elderly members of their family and support their children below the age of 18. This group of Americans is referred to as the “Sandwich Generation.” But the responsibility of taking care of the elderly while simultaneously raising young children can be challenging. You need to juggle your time to tend to both their needs. While this task can be tiring and burdensome, it is still possible to make your life less complicated. By implementing the following tips, you can care for both the senior and younger members of your family without feeling too stressed. 

Get Help When Needed

Adults in the Sandwich Generation tend to take matters into their own hands when caring for the other members of their household. This is especially true if the elderly relative has any forms of health issues. You might want to make sure that your elderly is well-taken care off. But this can be really frustrating if you are also busy with work and other important chores. You can ask the kids to help you take care of the elder relatives, but some things need to be assigned to those who really know what to do during major events. To lessen your burden, you can hire professional caregivers to help you in taking care of your senior family member, who are well-trained to handle medical emergencies. As an added assistance, you can also avail services that provide medical alert for elderly patients and even seniors in their own homes, adding helpful peace of mind. This could be very useful in case your elderly relative is at risk of falling. With just a click of a button, a designated customer representative will be alerted whenever your senior family member falls. Then, they will evaluate the situation and alert you or other caregivers about the incident. 

Discuss All of Your Financial Options

It will make your life a lot easier if you are transparent about the financial situation in your household. Since caring for a sick senior family member and paying for your child’s tuition and other needs can be financially draining, it would help if you are honest with everyone regarding your spending needs. If your senior relative has any personal savings or owns any life insurance policies, it could help you pay for a significant portion of their usual expenses. If you have siblings, you might want to talk to them to discuss how each one of you could contribute to the medical bills of your senior parents. You can also have this discussion with your children if they are almost off to college, which will allow them to understand financial responsibilities. It will also let them know how much you are willing to support them if they want to pursue higher education.  

Observe Self-Care 

Sometimes, taking care of someone can make you neglect taking care of yourself, but this will only impede your purpose. If you want to be effective in caring for your senior family members and your children, you need to pay attention to your own well-being. Always remember to address all your basic needs like adequate sleep, balanced diet, and maintaining good mental health. As much as possible, always squeeze in your favorite habits during your free time. This could include reading a new book, binge-watching your favorite TV series, or working out at the gym. You do not need to feel guilty about taking time off for yourself for the sake of your sanity. 

Balancing your responsibilities in taking care of your senior relatives and young children are really physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially draining. But you do not need to wallow in all the hardships on your own. By delegating some of the tasks to others and asking your other family members to help you with the finances, your job as the main caregiver can be bearable. It would also help to find a life partner that is willing to share in all your struggles.