For Wed Jul 7, 2010
I look at my past experiences with a new compassion toward myself. Without those experiences, I wouldn't be here in this healing place.
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Introduction to
Aging
We are at a time in history when change and choice are primary characteristics of family life.
In the past, when a parent's ability to care for themselves declined, they moved in and were cared for in their children's home, with a daughter or daughter-in-law performing the primary caretaking role. Now there are many lifestyle choices for our aging parent, from retirement communities with varied levels of care, to living alone longer in their own homes with occasional outside help, to sharing their homes with boarders who provide some care in exchange for rent.
Despite all this, as our parent's ability to care for themselves diminishes, we as their children continue to hold some primary opportunity and responsibility to provide them with care.
In the middle of all this noise, our challenge is to develop and maintain a continuing relationship with our parent which enhances the lives of all members of the family.
Sometimes this presents us with great difficulty. Along with growing responsibility for our parent, many of us are parents in turn, with the myriad of activities and time pressures having our own children entails. We can see why we are sometimes referred to as the "sandwich generation" as we rush about to try to accomplish everything we feel we should do for both the young and old in our lives.
For many of us our life sandwich is a Dagwood special, with additional layers of multiple careers, demanding travel and work schedules, and attempts to find some time for ourselves.
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