Senior citizens are living longer. This is definitely a good thing, but our current system is not currently prepared to handle this fact. Known as the “Sandwich Generation,” many people in their 40s and 50s are caring for both an elderly parent, and younger children and grandchildren. What’s happening is that these people are being pulled in too many directions. It’s exhausting, stressful, and overwhelming.
Do you find yourself in this situation? You have kids or grandkids that need a lot of your time and attention, but also one or two parents that also have many needs? If so, you are caught in between with competing areas of responsibility, not to mention your own needs. You need to take care of your health, your career, and a whole list of other things. If you have family in a far away places, this becomes even more exaggerated in its severity.
Enlisting the help of others is a must here. There are a number of ways that you can do this, but the most trustworthy way is to hire a professional caregiver from an in-home care service. This way, you won’t need to worry about whether or not the person is trained in what they are doing as this will have happened before they ever step foot in your home. You won’t need to worry about their character as background checks will have been run on them before they were hired. You won’t need to worry about any accidents happening because of the fact that they will be fully insured, bonded, and have emergency training if something does happen. It might cost more upfront than just rotating family caregivers, but the costs saved later on are more than worth it. Health is preserved for longer, you can focus more on your job, and constant travel costs are reduced.
In fact, studies have shows that it is far cheaper to pay for an in-home caregiver than it is to quit your job and take care of a family member on your own. Some families can afford this, others cannot. Where you fall is up to you. Just know that there are hidden costs when you care for someone on your own, even if those aren’t necessarily known at first. Paying for professional caregivers seems expensive, but in the end, it is often the most economical choice–especially if you are employed and have others to assist. Your mom or dad might need help paying for groceries or taking care of their bills. Your kids might, too. It’s a lot of responsibility.
Family is important; there’s no denying this. You love your family, and you want the best for them. But, you cannot give them your best if you are personally overextended. Doing it all is not possible, no matter how much we’d like to be able to do everything on our own. The best we can do is know the cost of our decisions, how they affect the people we love, and then make the best decision we can with those facts in mind.
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