Tips for handling the responsibility of being a “sandwich” parent
For caregivers who care for both their children and their parents, it can be easy for stress to build up. Michelle Goetting, Patient & Family Services Coordinator at Black River Memorial Hospital, offers five tips for managing it:
- Get back to the basics
Getting adequate sleep, eating healthy, nutritious food, drinking plenty of water, and moving your body every day can have a profound, positive impact on anyone's health.
- Unplug
Reducing screen time gives our brain and body time to recharge. It is easy to make ourselves so available to others at all times via phone, email, Zoom, social media, etc., and it’s not doing us any good in terms of reducing stress.
- Use your time off from work
Making sure to use your vacation time is just step one. Step two is actually using your time off as time off. Leave your work at work. Know that it’s OK to set boundaries and say no.
- Ask for help
Asking for help has developed a negative stigma as we’ve gone from being a “we” society to a “me” society. When we need help, it is OK to ask for it and realize that people usually like to help. That old saying “It takes a village” is absolutely true.
- Self-care
It’s counterproductive to try to care for others if you aren’t caring for yourself. If you’re enduring chronic stress and notice you’re not eating or sleeping well, your mood is off, you’re irritable, or you’re having health problems, check in with a professional.
Resources
- Jackson Co. Aging and Disability Resource Center
- Dementia care specialists available through Jackson County
- Jackson Co. Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers
- Lunda Community Center, including The Hub senior center
- Ho-Chunk Nation District 1 Community Center
- Ho-Chunk Tribal Aging Unit and Social Services Dept.
- Alzheimer’s Association