Caring for Kids and Parents: The Stressful Reality of Being in the Sandwich Generation

The "sandwich generation" - people taking care of their kids, parents or older loved ones. It can be stressful, especially during back-to-school time when everyone settles into a new routine.

Sarah Bradley knows firsthand the challenges of being in this situation. She was her mother's full-time caregiver while raising three children.

“It was super challenging. One of the things I said quite often through our experience was ‘Thank god I wake up every day with a renewed sense of grace and patience and love because I couldn’t do this if I didn’t,’” she said.

Bradley's mother, Sue, had Alzheimer's disease and passed away in March 2024. In honor of her mother, Bradley started "The Nursery Project," which donates baby dolls to memory care units.

“The nursery project, and we donate babies to memory care units in her memory, and we’ve been able to bless 12 different facilities at this point,” Bradley said.

Bradley now works at Home Instead, helping families navigate care for seniors. She's one of hundreds of thousands navigating the challenge of caregiving for loved ones while raising children.

The Alzheimer's Association says 219,000 people in Indiana are unpaid dementia caregivers, and about a quarter of them are also raising children.

“It is a large population of dementia caregivers. It can be really hard. Caregivers share they have a lot of physical stressors, emotional stressors,” said Robin Rickel, the community engagement manager with the Alzheimer's Association.

Rickel emphasized that there are resources available for people in this position, including open communication with friends and family, as well as the association's 24/7 helpline and new app called My ALZ Journey.

“I know what it felt like to be at the end of the rope and feeling like, who do I go to, what questions do I ask, where do I start. Being able to be that answer has been fulfilling for me,” Bradley said.