Can Your Children Benefit Your Aging Parent in Your Care Routine?
Being a member of the sandwich generation can often leave you feeling as though you are the center of care and benefit for both your children and your aging parent. You may feel as though your care efforts are the center of this arrangement, and that you must focus as much of your own effort on both generations as you can in order for them to get the most benefit. While your care efforts, energy, and attention are obviously extremely important, it is valuable not to overlook the other benefits that this type of care arrangement can offer. In many ways, being in the sandwich generation is a way to encourage your children and your parent to benefit one another. While it may be obvious that having another adult in their lives can be very beneficial for a child, your children can also be a valuable and meaningful part of your senior's life and care routine as well.
Some of the ways your children can benefit your aging parent during your sandwich generation caregiver experience include:
● Bringing a sense of energy and excitement into their daily life. Just spending time with younger people can energize elderly adults and give them more motivation to be more active and involved.
● Allowing your children to enjoy activities with your senior that can encourage expression, creativity, and sharing of emotion. Arts and crafts are a wonderful way to accomplish this. Your children can provide a supportive and safe environment for your parent to open up, express themselves, and experience the benefits of this type of stimulation and sharing.
● Enabling your children to teach your parent new skills they may not have. If your elderly adult is not tech savvy but would like to learn, your children can teach them about how to use mobile devices, social media, and other forms of technology that can benefit your parents life.
● Offering them meaningful companionship and emotional support. Even a very young child sitting with their grandparent and reading a book or coloring can make a major difference in the life of a senior dealing with loneliness and isolation, or who may be struggling with cognitive functioning decline.
Being in the sandwich generation puts you in a sometimes challenging position. You want to make sure that all of your parent's needs are met effectively, but those efforts do not change the needs of your children. You must continue to care for them, and to be the caregiver they need, while seeing to your senior's requirements as well. Starting home care for your parent can be invaluable in this situation. By taking a step back from the care efforts you give to your parent and entrusting those tasks to a home care provider, you are able to focus energy and attention on your children. This enables you to feel that all of your loved ones are getting everything they need, and that you are showing your love and concern for them as much as possible. A care provider can also make it easier for the entire family to spend time together. By being with your senior during family outings or special events, this care provider can offer direct care that manages your senior's needs, and keeps the routine as consistent as possible, which allows you to relax and enjoy the event without worrying about your senior.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering caregiver services in Parma, OH, please talk to the caring staff at Avalon Home Health Care today. Call us at (440) 863 -3609.