Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/592488
30 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 T here comes a time in your life when you look around and realize something has changed. We all picture ourselves at a younger age. I call that the "forever age." It's the age we always see ourselves at despite what our bodies say. It was a shock to me when one morning I sleepily got up for work, looked into the bathroom mirror, and found my mother staring back at me. In my mind's eye I was in my 30s, maybe pushing 40, but the woman in the mirror was way past 50. When I looked around, I noticed that my stiletto heels had become thicker and shorter, and I dressed more comfortably. Although still feeling stylish, I was no longer "hip." I was happy with my life. I had a beautiful home, a loving husband, and great children. Yet I had to recognize that I was in a new stage of my life. I had been a counselor, school psychologist, and sales manager before I found my calling with senior citizens in the early 1990s. It came naturally. I grew up with my grandparents in my home and cared for them there. I helped them when they needed to find support in a new setting. Dedicating my career to seniors became my gift back to my grandparents and all the elderly people who had touched my life. When I started in the senior healthcare field, I was young enough to be everyone's daughter. en, in a flash, I became everyone's peer. When did that happen? Twenty- three years had passed. But really, when did that happen? My own children, now grown, still need me for emotional support, life advice, and occasional financial support. At the same time, my mom needs me to follow her medical care and to be her voice and memory with doctors. I worry about her like I worried about my children growing up. I am an adult in the Sandwich Generation, caught between supporting my children and my parents. Wellness By Angelia Brigance B eing a parent is rewarding, sure. Not easy, but rewarding. Being a parent of a teenager can be temporarily less than rewarding and is certainly not considered easy. The word that comes to mind is "difficult." Not only are your kids trying to cut apron strings, but they can also be moody, emotional, non-communicative, and at times downright frustrating. Add to that the pressures you may be feeling regarding your parents. Perhaps your parents are starting to need some support. You need to be more available to them but neither work nor other obligations are coming off your plate. Perhaps you even have to make a very difficult decision about whether it's time to move your parents out of the family home and into a place where they will have 24-hour support and daily care. That can be super stressful. You, my friend, are stuck in the middle—you are the Sandwich Generation. This month's Wellness article addresses this topic and offers some excellent tips for managing the rapids of being needed by kids and parents. Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager tamelat@wac.net 206.464.4639 Can you relate? Squeezed for support For the Sandwich Generation, self-care must come first