For Baby Boomers caregiving can be a never ending joy or challenge

If you are in your mid 50’s, if your parents are still living they might be anywhere from 70-80+. This means that your parents are coming upon the time when you either need to start preparing yourself and your parents for the time when they will need help and then eventually hard decisions are to be made or you are already in that position. Not only are all of your relatives getting older, but many are becoming ill or not as mobile and you are finding yourself helping out whenever you can. Then if you have children, they could be from their 20’s to their 40’s. They may have lost a job, they may become ill, or you may be helping with their children. As you look around, you wonder “why me?” of “I am so glad I am able to help” or “How can I keep this up mentally, financially?” or “Things happen for a reason.” You look down the road and you see more and more caregiving opportunities. It makes you feel good that you can help. But, you must always remember that you must stay healthy or those around you will have to begin the cycle. Take care of yourself and try and help those around you make good health choices so that the caregiving cycle starts later than sooner.

Inevitable role of family caregiver

If you have parents, aunts, uncles, sons, daughters, a spouse, or a friend, you probably at some time will be either a primary caregiver or a secondary caregiver. Those of us who are in our 50’s are in what they call the “sandwich generation.” as explained on the Carestation Blog. We are sandwiched between taking care of our children or grandchildren and our aging parents or others in their generation. If you are a woman, you have a greater chance of becoming a primary caregiver according to statistics reported in a report on The Family Caregiver Alliance Site The statistics sited are numbers from a few years ago. With baby boomers like me reaching their late 50’s and my parents moving into their 80’s, those statistics cited will grow exponentially. Moreover, my sons will then be more likely to move into the role of primary caregiver for either myself or my parents. This means that not only are we responsible for researching how to get our own affairs in order, but also on providing good care for the ones we love and care for our selves. I did not do that the first time I was a primary caregiver, but I will as I move into the role of caring for my aging parents. How many of you were prepared?