A sandwich generation caregiver is a family caregiver who has children at home and at least one older parent in need of care. They’re sandwiched between their children’s care needs, their parent’s care, and often a full-time job, too. having a Companion Care at Home services provider on hand can help get you through the hardest parts of keeping up.
Being a sandwich generation family caregiver is especially stressful. Here are some of the difficulties that the sandwich generation experiences.
Loss of Income
If you’re providing the care your dad needs, you have to take time away from work when he has medical appointments. He can’t run some errands on the weekends, so you have to take an afternoon off. You’re out of vacation time and personal days, so the hours you take off are unpaid.
Caring for an aging parent often means you’re losing income. Even if you claim FMLA to protect your job, FMLA doesn’t mean you’ll get paid for that time off. FMLA is usually unpaid unless you use up vacation days, sick days, and personal time.
Too Little Time for Personal Interests
At home, you walk your dog, get breakfast together, and get your children to camp, school, or daycare. You go to your dad’s house and get him ready for the day. While he showers, you make his breakfast and lunch. Once he’s settled, you head to the office. You’ve been up since 4 a.m., and now at 9 a.m., you have to work until 5 p.m.
After the work day, you drive to your dad’s house and check on him and get his dinner together. You go home and clean your house, get dinner for your kids, and get ready for bed. You’re exhausted, and there’s no time left to do anything you enjoy. You’ll burn out.
Risk of Losing Retirement Savings
Because you’re just always too busy, you look into quitting work for now. Your significant other makes enough to pay the bills. You’ll take care of your dad and children all day. It’s an option, but in the years your dad needs care, you lose that retirement income.
Worse, when you are ready to reenter the workforce, you may run into many employers who do not view your work as a family caregiver to be valuable work experience. You may end up having to start at the bottom of a job ladder again, which is even harder if you’re in your 40s or 50s.
Two Households to Maintain
Finally, you have two households to maintain. You have laundry at your dad’s house and at your own. You have two sets of pets to care for, two houses to clean, and so many meals to cook. It’s exhausting.
Make sure you’re taking care of yourself. It’s tempting to try to do it all, but nobody’s perfect. It’s perfectly acceptable to admit that you just can’t take on one more task. Call a companion care at home specialist and ask about respite care services.
With respite care available for your mom, you’re able to focus on your needs for self-care and your child’s need to have you around for homework, extracurricular activities, and family activities. Reach out to a companion care at home advisor to get started.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Companion Care at Home in North Canton, OH, please contact the caring staff at Autumn Hills Home Care, LLC today. (330) 217-6090
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from The Pennsylvania State University, and Master’s degree from The University of Akron.He is currently studying Spanish Language at the University of Akron.
He is married to Lisa, and together they have a daughter, two sons, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and four grandchildren.The entire family lives in Summit County, Ohio.
In his professional career he worked in hospitals, taking several assignments in Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Akron, finally settling in Akron in 1987.
His career took him into starting up two specialty hospitals in Akron, then into starting up several Home Health and Hospice programs.
Fourteen years ago he and his wife, Lisa, entered into restaurant ownership and operation.They since started “Lala’s Restaurant and Fireside Lounge” in the Portage Lakes.The restaurant has been open since November 2019, and provides residents of the area with fine food and entertainment.
Toward the end of his service in the Hospice industry, Jeff had a vision for starting a Home Care service to care for seniors in our area.After a search of franchises and other businesses, he started Autumn Hills Home Care.Through this business, he has proudly provided the best of service to seniors throughout the area, as well as meaningful employment for many caregivers.
Most recently, Jeff entered government service as was elected Trustee of Coventry Township.He was sworn in and started service in January 2020.
In his free moments, Jeff enjoys family time, bicycling, golf, learning Spanish, and travel.He can be reached at jeff.houck@outlook.com
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