Caring for kids and aging parents? Welcome to the “sandwich generation.” Get tips for managing from Dartmouth Health-sponsored webinar

Image of a young girl, her grandmother and mother looking toward the camera and smiling

The way society is structured today, paired with the fact that we’re living longer, makes it a lot less conducive to simultaneously provide care to our children and aging parents, as our ancestors often did.

Sarah J. Roane, PhD

Many members of the X and Millennial generations are facing a unique challenge at home these days: caring for their own children as well as aging parents. This scenario is referred to as a “sandwich generation,” and the stress of balancing the needs of everyone the caregiver is responsible for is very real. Between planning kids’ activities, organizing and delivering hands-on caregiving for older adults, managing relationships, and the normal stresses of adulthood like careers and paying bills, it’s no surprise that this arrangement can become overwhelming and exhausting.

As part of the Breakfast Briefs educational series, sponsored by Dartmouth Health, the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce will host a webinar on Thursday, May 23, on the challenges of being in a sandwich generation. Panelists will be Sarah J. Roane, PhD, a psychologist and clinical operations and assessment lead at Dartmouth Health Employee Behavioral Health, and Cynthia Whitaker, PsyD, MLADC, a psychologist and president and CEO of Greater Nashua Mental Health. Roane and Whitaker will address the unique challenges facing caregivers in the sandwich generation, strategies and tools to mitigate these challenges, and how self-compassion can help us reduce stress and cope more effectively.

“The way society is structured today, paired with the fact that we’re living longer, makes it a lot less conducive to simultaneously provide care to our children and aging parents, as our ancestors often did,” Roane said. “While the desire to do this is noble and can be achieved, it’s critical that caregivers have the tools and support needed to prevent burnout. My hope is this free webinar will equip participants to approach this ‘sandwich’ scenario with a sense of balance, and to feel less alone.”

This webinar will be held on Thursday, May 23, from 8:30-9:30 am. To register, visit https://bit.ly/3wLSoKX.

About Dartmouth Health

Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.