Tips for the Sandwich Generation Caregiver

"More than 50 million Americans support themselves, their children and are becoming the primary caregiver for an aging parent. This growing group, known as the “Sandwich Generation”, faces the financial and emotional burdens of caring for multiple generations. As parents age and require more assistance and care, it may be time to investigate options." - Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio

As a caregiver, it's equally as important to care for yourself. The Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio offers four tips for sandwich generation caregivers to obtain balance between taking care of their children and their older loved ones. 

Regardless of what holiday it is, here are 10 gifts to give yourself year round. 

Holiday Season Tips for Caregivers

For most of us, the holiday season is a wonderful time to share the joys of family life and friendship. However for many older adults the holidays can be highly stressful, confusing, or even depressing if their emotional, mental, or physical needs are not taken into account.

If you have older friends and family members with underlying health conditions, you can help them enjoy the holiday season more by following these simple tips:

1. Stroll down memory lane. 

Holidays provoke memories, which can be especially powerful in the later years of life. “Leading authorities have observed that memory and ‘life review’ are important parts of the aging process,” says Barry Lebowitz, Ph.D., deputy director of UCSD’s Stein Institute for Research on Aging. “Older people whose memories are impaired may have difficulty remembering recent events, but they are often able to share stories and observations from the past. These shared memories are important for the young as well—children enjoy hearing about how it was ‘when your parents were your age…’.” He suggests using picture albums, family videos and music, even theme songs from old radio or TV programs, to help stimulate memories and encourage older seniors to share their stories and experiences.

2. Eliminate obstacles. 

If a holiday get-together is held in the home of an older person with memory impairment or behavioral problems, don’t rearrange the furniture. This could be a source of confusion and anxiety. If the gathering is in a place unfamiliar to an older person, remove slippery throw rugs and other items that could present barriers to someone with balance problems or who has difficulty walking.

3. Reach out. 

Being together with loved ones is especially important at holiday times.  “Older adults are some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Whether a senior lives alone or is being cared for by others, the potential for self-neglect or abuse is there,” says Mosqueda, chair of the UC Irvine Department of Family Medicine, and director of geriatrics and the Center of Excellence in Elder Abuse and Neglect. “It is more likely to become an issue if you fail to recognize warning signs early, so use your time wisely with loved ones this holiday season.”

4. Be diet conscious.

With age comes diet restrictions that may influence what or how we eat. Whether it's kidney disease, heart failure, loss of appetite, or simply a difficult chewing, these need to be taking into consideration during food preparation. Here you'll find recipes and pointers to adhere to various diet restrictions.   

5. Keep the spirits high.

Ultimately, the holidays are about being around those you love and care about. Do you best to form new memories with your loved ones by managing stress and focusing on the joy of being together. Tis the season to be jolly! 




Join us! Monday, November 25th at 7pm ET/4pm PT, for a TweetChat at #Nurseup to talk more about preparations for the holiday season. 

Good News for Caregivers

Family caregivers live longer than their peers

Caring for a disabled family member can be emotionally taxing, physically draining, and financially challenging. However, for those who bear such responsibilities, comes great joy, fulfillment, and memories. Not to mention, possibly a longer life. It's true! New research has brought to light a new positive to being a caregiver. 

In a nationwide study, adults who provided care for a chronically ill or disabled family member had a lower death rate than a similar group of non-caregivers. 

The finding was actually a completely surprise.

"(We want to) emphasize the positive message that caregiving is a healthy thing that we should be doing in our families," says lead study author Dr. David L. Roth, director of the Johns Hopkins University Center on Aging and Health, to Reuters Health.

Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, who directs the Geriatric Education Center at Stanford University School of Medicine in California told Reuters Health the current study's findings are "surprising… because prior studies did find an association between caregiver stress and mortality."

Gallagher-Thompson pointed out that the caregivers included in Roth's study were not heavily stressed, however. They didn't all have their ill family member living with them full time. Some caregivers may have just visited their charges, the report indicates. "Previous studies that have reported high stress and increased mortality have focused on dementia," said Gallagher-Thompson.

In the past, researchers have found just the opposite - an increased risk of poor mental and physical health among people caring for their spouse or a person with dementia, for example. However, these were isolated cases of small sample size. Moreover, in contrast, this study did not distinguish between caregivers of people with dementia and those with other conditions.

Roth noted that poorer health among caregivers is "undoubtedly true" in some cases, especially among those caring for people with dementia. However, he highlighted that "caregiving stress has been over exaggerated". 

Of the 3,503 caregivers included in the study, over 80% said they were experiencing either no mental or emotional strain or only a moderate level of such strain. Only 578 - or less than one in five - felt their caregiving caused them "high strain." Roughly two thirds of the caregivers were female. About a third were adult children, and about one in five were spouses. Slightly more than half provided care for less than 14 hours a week.

During the nine years the study was conducted, about 7.5 percent of caregivers died, compared to about 9 percent of the same number of non-caregivers. This averages to an 18% lower death rate among caregivers than among their non-caregiving counterparts.

"In a way you can say this is good news," said Gallagher-Thompson, who was not involved in the study. "If you‘re caring for someone with long-term (illness or disability in some cases), it may actually provide you with some health benefits."

Reasons for the lower rate of death among caregivers may have to do with their own self-selection, Roth said. Considering the low number of spouse caregivers included in the study, the non-spouse caregivers who chose to provide care to their family members "may be healthier, better adjusted people who have their own house in order," he said.

Gallagher-Thompson thinks maybe altruism, spirituality, and resilience among caregivers also played a role. "Some caregivers are able to roll with the punches," she said.

So keep it up caregivers! 

SOURCE: bit.ly/H6ejhF American Journal of Epidemiology