As an honest-to-goodness member of the “sandwich generation, you’re not the only care provider. Juggling work, school, and the needs of your children and those of your parents is more than enough for one person. You’re likely finding very little time for yourself, and chances are your sleep, dietary needs, exercise routine, and personal time have not been a priority over the last little while.
It can happen to anyone, but now it’s time to put the kibosh on burnout with “It can happen to anyone, but now it’s time to put the kibosh on burnout with just a few adjustments and find ways to help you rebuild your energy, rebalance, and get the help you need to cope with everyday life.
Eldercare and its inherent superhero responsibilities are the new facts of life for aging Canadians and the invincible baby boomers, many of whom are now separated, divorced, remarried, blended, etc. Today, as adult sons and daughters with high-maintenance careers, as spouses with ailing partners or relatives, we are, as the saying goes, “sandwiched” between the care needs of others, our still-dependent children, and our jobs.
Research shows that families are, for the most part, unprepared for the eldercare challenges that lay ahead. Many move directly into “care in crisis” mode, make plans on the fly, and regret not making decisions around aging issues in advance.
Workplace health, wellness, and productivity issues are huge. Today, employers and governments identify productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, and retention as key factors, with the statistics pointing to eldercare as one of the biggest productivity hurdles to overcome.
Just the facts about Canadian caregivers. Most of them are:
• aged 40 to 64.
• caring for an immediate family member.
• working full-time.
• balancing other activities (e.g., raising a family).
• 8.1 million Canadians are caregivers (1 in 4) .
• 54% are women, 46% are men.
Other notes worth reviewing:
• 6.1 million are juggling work and caregiving.
• They spend 12.6 million dollars a year on expenses related to caregiving.
• 1.1 million Canadians are affected directly or indirectly by dementia.
• Caregivers contribute 25 billion dollars in unpaid labour to our health system.
(Source: StatsCan)
Everyone is different
Are you at work or at home? Whether it’s “roll up your sleeves” daily care or long-distance, hands-off management, each family’s caring situation is as diverse as the individuals involved. Where the commonality lies is that for most of us daily life with our parents gets hard to manage. Tough choices must be made, finances must be brought out of the closet, and guilt and emotions hit an all-time high.
This is no time to bury your head. Mother doesn’t always know best — especially now! To dig yourself out, try to get the help you need and look before you leap. Get simple, best-practice gems from health professionals and family caregivers “in the know” so you can revive yourself with tips to preserve work-life balance and find some really time-sensitive alternatives that’ll put you back in the driver’s seat.
If you read nothing else, check out our 10 caregiving sanity savers that are sure to help you through the week. They’re even worth posting on the fridge for daily reminders, see our next article…
