Elder Care And The Sandwich Families
Guess who's coming to dinner? Family meetings now include you and your children but with Mom or Dad sitting in too. The number of households where Mom or Dad has moved in with their adult children is climbing. Elder care issues are part of your daily considerations. You are constantly in the middle. Welcome to the sandwich generation.
At the last Parent-Teacher meeting at our elementary school there were six grandparents present. The adjustments can be tough for every member of the family. Parents have done a lot of sharing after the school meetings and it has seeded a small support group. We all face common logistic and relationship challenges.
Our group has been providing help making meals and serving food at church once a week. On the weekends we collect donations to support hot meals at the Aging Americans Center in our community. Folks can drop off or we will pick up donations. We discovered that many businesses and cube stores actually have a budget for supporting non-profit efforts in their community. This has been a huge boon.
We did several events to raise funds for the program. We sold chances to win hdtv plasma tvs during the past year. A kitchenaid food processor was the drawing prize for supporting businesses in town. Lots of small appliances were donated to our massive indoor bazaar including a delonghi space heater.
One couple shared the dynamic of having a child and a parent that used diapers. There was lots of talk about the 'reality check'. Critical grandmothers are not always appreciated by today's teen. Conflicts can arise from comments about clothes, makeup, and music. One parent talked about the 'trigger' words list in their home.
Medical appointments, picking up prescriptions, administering medication, special diets, and other considerations have to be met. Many talked about the clash between 'generation text' and their grandparents. Conflict seems to be inevitable. Just as there are more than one problem with sandwich families, there is more than one solution.
Our rides program is helping families. For a family that has to load Mom into the car with her oxygen bottle, day bag, and wheelchair to take her to dialysis three times a week it is respite. Volunteers now transport her twice a week and her daughter picks her up four hours later. Rides are now being offered for shopping, senior center outings, and other activities.
Our little group is finding ways to support each other. We have instituted 'adult play dates' and it really takes the pressure off for a few hours each week. There have been some terrific side effects. We are modeling volunteerism to our children. I have learned to play a game called cribbage. My wife has finally gotten her hands on my mother's secret apple pie crust recipe. Now that's a win-win.
A Daily Anthem (A Jemi Story) Episode 4: Diapers and Pills
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The Potty Book – For Girls $2.31 Summary:Every little girl’s graduation from diapers to the potty is always a very important moment–and one to make both parents and toddlers proud! In The Potty Book, Hannah needs to have her diapers changed so she can go out and play. Then mom and dad bring home a big box, and Hannah is anxious to open it up and see what’s inside. Is it a rocking chair? A bed for Teddy? No, it’s a potty–which m… |
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The Potty Book: For Boys $1.15 A little boy named Henry receives his own potty, and in spite of accidents, he makes his mom and dad proud when he no longer has to wear diapers. Toddler Henry learns that it is time to graduate from his diapers to using the new potty chair that Mom and Dad bring home for him, in a gentle and humorous story told in verse. The book uses the words potty, pee, and poop, for euphemisms. The book rhyme… |
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Caillou: Potty Time (Hand-in-Hand series) $3.05 In this delightful story Mommy has a surprise for Caillou: his very own potty! Though initially uninterested, Caillou eventually decides that he wants to be a “big boy” and leave his diapers behind. After several attempts, a few failures, and near misses, Caillou learns to ask for the potty when he needs it and is rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and independence. Written with input from c… |