| Are you a Baby Boomer who is taking take of an | | | | he was used to, and now life as he knew it was |
| elderly loved one? I am. Perhaps you have dependent | | | | radically changed. And mine too. |
| children too. And maybe a job or business. I do. | | | | He'd lived in Arizona for 25 years, but now our family |
| Welcome to "the Sandwich Generation" -- I'm sure | | | | rushed him back up to his home state where he |
| you've heard of it. (As it turns out, we're mostly | | | | entered an assisted living community near me. I had |
| women). All of our situations are different. Yet similar. | | | | many years of working with seniors in various |
| For instance... | | | | capacities. But nothing came close to what I |
| One morning when my father woke up (He was 93 | | | | experienced in helping my own once-very-active |
| ½) he suddenly could hardly see. He'd had a | | | | father who had both extreme hearing and vision loss. |
| little macular degeneration but was receiving those | | | | Through the next weeks and months I learned to |
| eyeball shots and was doing OK. But unbeknownst to | | | | develop a Plan. I learned the delicate balance |
| him, his eyes had been internally bleeding during the | | | | between my caregiving and his strong independence. |
| night. As of that morning he suddenly couldn't see to | | | | And about his dignity and self-esteem. And all about, |
| drive, not even to the store. Couldn't read food labels | | | | first hand, assisted living and continuous care. |
| (or anything for that matter), couldn't watch TV, | | | | Even though he was in assisted living, I took on |
| could hardly see his microwave or phone buttons. | | | | many, many secondary caregiving duties. I learned |
| Besides that, he was totally deaf in one ear, with | | | | new ways to keep him busy - and yes, there are |
| 50% hearing loss in the other. He'd experience | | | | many activities deaf-blind people can do. He now uses |
| sudden hearing loss a couple years previous. | | | | a special government-sponsored books on tape |
| Dad was in a panic and didn't know what to do. Up | | | | program, with a special machine that adjusts sound |
| until that morning, he'd been able to play 18 holes of | | | | frequencies so he can actually hear it! I also got him |
| golf three times a week. He cooked all of his own | | | | special infrared ear phones for watching TV - a 52 |
| meals with fresh food. At his age he was still a really | | | | inch TV - and he can see basic forms, movement, |
| good driver, so drove his "younger friends" | | | | and shapes. He's really thrilled with even that, and has |
| everywhere because they couldn't. He also cleaned, | | | | a little something to do to fill his hours. We devised |
| maintained, and lived in his own home. I know this is | | | | ways for him to maintain his good nutrition and |
| probably over the top for a 93-year-old. But it's what | | | | healthy snacking - sometimes difficult in an institution. |