by Kathy Cooper
I recently read an article in Forbes that talked about the Sandwich Generation, you know, having older parents to take care of while you are still caring for your own children. Thom and I have lived in an extended family most of our lives, so this is a scenario we know well. It is challenging to have to support your parents, Forbes called it “parenting your parents”. Somehow we all think that our parents will be strong and independent forever. Obviously, this could not be further from the truth. There are some times that really stand out … maybe you can relate:
- There was the time that Mildred, Thom’s grandmother, got interested in the sweepstakes. We found out when we started to receive a bunch of magazine subscriptions to magazines that we would never buy.
- Then there was the time that Arlene, Thom’s mother, ran into the backhoe that was parked along the side of the road. Her vision was not good and she refused to wear her glasses.
- More recently, my mother bought about a case of Scrubbing Bubbles – not all at once, but two or three at a time. She would buy them each time she went to the store, thinking that we really needed Scrubbing Bubbles. We ended up giving them to friends, family and co-workers because we could not use that many in a hundred years!
If you have not yet had these experiences, believe me, you will. What can you learn from this? The Forbes article said it best “planning ahead is key to good eldercare”. Make sure that you have worked with an elder law attorney to get your parents’ affairs in order, long before you have to face the challenges of the Sandwich Generation.
