The Sandwich – How Can It Be Bad For Me?

What I am talking about here is not your standard bread and meat or peanut butter food item, but rather, the not so new phenomenon for the boomer generation now dubbed the Sandwich Generation.No, this does not refer to a generation raised on eating sandwiches.

This refers to women being caught between taking care of aging parents and children at the same time. And while people have been dealing with this issue for generations, the baby boomer generation may be the first to contend with these issues on the scale that currently exists.

With the advances in medicine and health, it is no surprise to anyone that people are living longer. It is  wonderful to have one’s parents living longer. However the parents decline in physical and cognitive abilities often occurs at the same time that baby boomer women are experiencing the stress of a career.

These women may be experiencing menopause and its myriad of symptoms simultaneously. Along with this, children are likely to be reaching the money intensive college years or early twenties and still requiring some financial assistance. Hence the sandwich. So what, you say, big deal!

A recent survey by AARP reveals that 45% of women between ages 45-55 have one living parent and at least one child younger than 21. One in Eight baby boomers are identified as caring and supporting both a parent and a child.

Why is this so different from other generations? Women are delaying having children by several years, the elder population is living longer, families are not always geographically close which can cause increased stress when problems occur or decisions are required. Additionally, the current economy is often causing adult children to rely on their parents for financial support or perhaps child care assistance.

So why is this a significant issue, more noteworthy than any other life stress issue? It is an issue for women  if they are also working significant hours. The time usually allocated to exercise, unwind, and social activities might now be usurped by parent’s/child’s need for attention elsewhere. So what is one to do when new demands are placed on time and energy. My answer is to say that it is important to continue to keep some time for yourself as a priority.

As women, we are expected to continually arise to any occasion asked of us. We often have spent years placing our needs below that of others whether they have been children, parents or employers and jobs. At some point, a woman has to make the decision to place herself first at least some of the time, so that she has the energy to care for herself.

Menopause is the age where it is important to take care of yourself in the form of:

• Proper diet to avoid or help control blood pressure and diabetes

• Some form of exercise to strengthen muscle and keep the heart healthy

• De-stress to lower cortisol levels and help lessen chance of metabolic diseases and cancer.

It is too easy to put these important life style habits aside because of time constraints and fatigue. I have had so many women tell me they don’t have time to exercise and eat correctly, I have seen worrisome changes in a woman’s health from year to year often due to these time constraints. I encourage all you sandwich generation women to continue with healthy choices as much as possible, and to attempt at all costs to place yourselves first at least SOME OF THE TIME!

Anne Vaillancourt