As a caregiver, you must take care of yourself. If you don’t, you are no good to anyone, especially, if you advocate for your frail and elderly parents.

The Sandwich Generation is balancing a full time job, caring for elderly parents and caring for your own family. Consequently, juggling these responsibilities comes at a cost to you, the caregiver. Therefore, as a caregiver, you must take care of yourself. If you don’t, you are no good to anyone, especially, if you advocate for your frail and elderly parents.

There are several things you should do to take care of yourself: spend time with family and friends; utilize family to share the caregiving load; reprieve from caregiving; take vacations; basically, find time for yourself.

Caring for an aging parent can become a full time task. Therefore, it’s impossible to do alone, especially if you work full time. Also, utilize the services of a home care agency, full or part time, depending on the needs of your parents, and yourself. Therefore, the home care help relieves you of some of the daily activities of living: bathing, cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands, and even general companionship. Consequently, this frees you up to spend quality time with your parents.

Seek the advice of Senior Life Care Planning, especially to Boomers who live a long distance from their aging parents. Senior Life Care Planning’s elder care attorney and care coordinators are professionals that focus on senior issues. They serve, as an advocate for their clients through needs assessment, problem solving, care coordination and referrals for other services, as required. Being the caregiver of an aging loved one is never an easy task. However, making you a priority and utilizing the help of Senior Life Care Planning’s staff you’re assured of peace of mind.