The Caregiving Dilemma
My parents began dating when they were 16 and, with the exception of the four years when Dad was away in the army, they were together for 72 years. It was hard to think of them apart. So when my father died just after Thanksgiving in 2006, we all thought that Mom would probably give up on life and move on to her heavenly reward. In February, my mother celebrated her 90th birthday and she’s still going strong. She’s still living in the house my parents bought for $ 6,000 in 1942, she’s independent and handles a lot of her chores and she’s got her wits about her. But, of course, we’re well aware that all of this could quickly change.
Meanwhile, one of our kids graduated from college last year who’s still living with us and we have a 15 year old whose college career is only three years away.
My wife has become our primary breadwinner while I’m in the process of transferring my skill sets into the world of New Media. And, like most other middle class families in America, we have our share of financial challenges.
So, I guess we qualify as a classic example of the Sandwich Generation.
If our scenario sounds similar to yours, you might find this article interesting: