The Baby Boomer Generation, caring for elderly parents, can enjoy this piece of good news. Via one of my favorite resources, Seniors For Living, I was very encouraged to read the headline that "this new 'CLASS Act' may relieve financial burdens for caregivers." Referring to the just signed Affordable Care Act, Joe LaGuardia explains that "the benefit, which is tucked in this rotund, controversial legislation, is called the CLASS Act.  The CLASS Act will establish a voluntary long-term insurance policy that pays cash stipends to people who become disabled or require long-term, in-home care." It's a very interesting and informative article and particularly useful for those caring for elderly parents. You can read the entire article at Caregiver Spirituality. Do check it out.

An interesting news video that came out earlier this year links Ibuprofen and Parkinson's Disease symptoms in a positive way. Early tests seem to indicate it can help ward it off. The video explains the details and the cautions about this intriguing possibility:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Definitely some interesting and useful news and information for all of us in the Baby Boomers Generation caring for our beloved seniors! Until next time…

Are you Sandwich Generation senior home care givers and grandparents, involved in long distance grandparenting and/or caring for the elderly parents? I am right there with you on both counts! I spend quite a bit of time, energy and money each year sending boxes to several special people in my life. This includes books to encourage senior parents, diapers for baby grandchildren, clothes marked down to almost nothing that will fit my growing grandkids, etc. It definitely keeps me spending plenty of time at the post office!

Even with all the items I mail on my own, one of my best Sandwich Generation care giver tools is an Amazon Prime Discount Membership. With that, I get free 2-day shipping anywhere in the U.S. with the shipping box included! If it's a real rush, all I have to pay is $3.99 to get next-day mail. That is primarily Monday through Friday, though sometimes they do Saturday service – it seems to vary.

I can't tell you what a big stress reliever that was when I was dealing with far away elderly parents who got hit with a nasty flu bug. I was able to send some grocery items they needed but were unable to get because of being so sick. The box arrived at their front door, via UPS, the next day. It only cost me the $3.99 shipping and they were so comforted and encouraged by it! What a joy to be able to help them even though we live so far apart!

Then there was the time my long distance grandkids were all sick with an especially bad strep throat going around. If that wasn't bad enough, they ended up giving it to their mom and dad who were equally miserable but working hard to be up and about taking care of the kids. I was able to send applesauce, a couple of videos to entertain the recouping grandkids, diapers and a book. It all got there in two days and the products didn't cost any more than if I'd bought them here locally. They helped to make everyone feel a bit better there and I didn't have to pay anything for shipping. Plus I didn't have to go out and shop, then come home and pack it all into a box I had to buy, THEN go back to stand in line at the post office AND pay for the shipping! Considering that my local grandkids, senior mom, and I were also battling a bug or two at that time, it was a tremendous help!

Those two examples, alone, would probably keep me using my Amazon Prime Discount membership for decades to come. But I get way more for my money than that! Some of the things I've done free this year include:

• Sent birthday presents to grandkids, nieces, nephews, senior parents, and others
• Ordered my favorite brand of bran several times this year. I haven't been able to find it since we moved, but thanks to Amazon and my Prime Discount Membership, I can still have it, right at my front door, for no extra cost!
• Sent CDs full of encouraging praise and worship songs to cheer someone up
• Got ink cartridges straight to my door and at a great price – perfect when I was too busy caregiving to make it to the store
• Ordered Vitamin C for my senior mom and myself – we prefer the smaller tablets and haven't been able to find them locally. Amazon carries them for a great price and, of course, free shipping! 
  
• Had fun spreading out a birthday for a special senior – I ordered books from four of her favorite authors. Two were already out, one was due out a month later, and the fourth was due out in March. I spent the time to order them all at once, Amazon sent them out as each book was published and, thanks to the Amazon Prime Membership, there are no shipping charges for any of the three shipments!  AND she gets these sweet treats of love throughout the year. 
• Ordered wedding gifts for friends through Amazon. Because of Sandwich Generation juggling, I had misplaced the invitation and was really late with the gifts. Instead of ordering from the store they had registered at and then having my gift be REALLY late, I found the same item at Amazon, ordered it, and they got it in two days flat! Then I emailed their parents it was on the way so they could take it off their registry. I can't tell you how many times Amazon has saved me from being late!
• Ordered my favorite lipstick when I couldn't find it at my local store. I'm still looking for it locally but it's so nice to know I can get it, and get it fast, from Amazon if I don't find it here. 

Now you see why I titled this Amazon Prime Discount Membership Reviews – not just review! I have put this great resource to the test so many times over the past three or so years I've had it and it is well worth the cost. It's worth it for anyone who uses Amazon and it's especially worth it for the ultra-busy Sandwich Generation senior home care giver and granny nanny. I'd much rather use my valuable time to be helping my sweet senior mom or an adorable grandkid, then standing in line at the post office – particularly when it's such creative and practical ways to save money! How about you? Had you ever wondered "What is Amazon Prime Discount Membership" when you saw it listed at their site? Have you ever tried it? We'd love to hear about it.

Kaye

As we well know, the Sandwich Generation is growing. Not only that! According to the Christian Broadcasting Network's interesting news video/article for boomers and seniors, Are You Caught in the 'Sandwich Generation," the Baby Boomer Generation is right in the heart of it all – something we had thought as well.

The video also includes an interview with Carol Abaya, one of the pioneer writers for the Sandwich Generation and its issues. She originally coined the phrase, Club Sandwich, which she describes in this video as, "more on a person's plate.  The adult children are caring not only for their aging parents, but also their grandparents, as well as their own kids." Or in my case, the generations go down instead of up – elderly parents and grandkids! 

I thought the advice to have all the legal paperwork completed was excellent. That will make everyone's life so much easier! I don't necessarily agree with the suggestion to never have the older parents move in with you, obviously, as that is exactly what I did. I understand it can be challenging, but it can also be a blessing. And in this economy, it is definitely a money saver!

If your elderly parents do move in with you, or vice versa, you certainly need to make sure everyone has their "own space." That's been a big help to me.  Due to family needs in the last 10 years, my senior mom and I have lived in five different homes – from 2400 square feet houses down to 1100 square feet apartments. We've done ok in all the places, but the bigger houses were much easier for our Sandwich Generation issues - especially when the grandkids came over. In fact, when we were in the apartment, we set a limit of one grandkid per overnighter.  I just went to their house if I needed to watch more grandkids. I also work hard to make sure great-grandma gets plenty of visit time as well, but for shorter time periods, which works better for her needs. 

What about you? How are you dealing with the Sandwich Generation issues? Are you all in one house, long distance, or a combination, like me? How did you like the video? We'd love to hear from you!

Kaye

Old-time TV. My senior parents grew up on it and my mom continues to enjoy the programs from back in the 40s and 50s. I still have fond memories of Our Miss Brooks and Father Knows Best. What I just learned was that apparently they. along with many other programs, started out on the the radio before eventually landing on TV where I discovered them. Even more interesting is that iTunes has a wide variety of these shows available for free! Perfect for a Sandwich Generation senior home care giver and grandparent.

While doing some research, I discovered Old Time Radio. Just go to iTunes, iTunes store, and in the top right search box, type in Old Time Radio. You should see a handful of the podcasts they offer along with the words "See All." Click "see all" and you will be delighted to see:

• Old Time Radio Nostalgia
• Old Time Radio Comedy
• Old Time Radio Drama
• Old Time Radio Mysteries
• Old Time Radio Scifi
• Old Time Radio Shows
• Old Time Radio Thrillers
• Old Time Dragnet
• The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd
• Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod
• My senior dad's favorite genre – Westerns!
• And so many others

Most are listed as Kids & Family, so I would assume they would, indeed, be fine for every age, but, of course, it's always wise to check them before letting the grandkids listen. All of the above have that listing except Dragnet, which is under Arts. There are several other options that are actually being developed as a current project, which may have more language and other issues than the "Old Time" shows, so we're sticking with the oldies.  

Just to give you a tiny flavor of what you will find:

• Jack Benny
• The Shadow
• Superman
• The Life of Riley
• A Date with Judy
• Maxwell House Coffee Time
• Blondie
• The Bob Hope Show
• Fibber McGee and Molly
• Family Theater
• CBS Radio Mystery Theater
• Dr. Kildare
• Mister I.A. Moto
• The Fat Man
• The Falcon
• Mystery Playhouse
• Gangbusters
• Inner Sanctum Mysteries
• Hallmark Playhouse
• And many, many more.

For a Sandwich Generation senior home care giver and grandmother, who is also a full-fledged member of the Baby Boomer Generation, these Old Time Radio Shows brought back so many fond memories, including times spent with my dad and mom when I was very young, laughing our heads off over Eve Arden and her co-stars in Our Miss Brooks. 

Best of all, they are all FREE (always one of my favorite ways to save money), and I've subscribed to most of them. Once a week, I go through and pick a few from each of the categories and copy them (burn them) to CDs for my senior mom to enjoy on her beloved CD player. She has throughly enjoyed them. They are bringing back terrific memories, giving her a nice alternative to TV re-re-reruns, and "exercising her brain" – always a good thing.

They are also handy for those times when I'm going to be away for longer periods. Making up several of these CDs gives my senior mom a special treat and the cost is low since a 50-pack of CDs runs me about $15, or less if I find them on sale. That's only about 30 cents per CD. iTunes is such a wonderful resource for all of us in the Sandwich Generation, from our oldest senior parents to our youngest little grandkids! I love that you can Download thousands of popular radio programs on iTunes. Not to mention great music, sermons, business podcasts, and so much more!  How about you? Have you found any other interesting  old-time radio or TV shows online? We'd love to hear about them.

I am so excited! It got to a relatively WARM 47 degrees today and it's supposed to be in the 50s this weekend! You have no idea how happy that makes this Sandwich Generation senior home care giver and grandmother! Unless, of course, you are also doing a "happy dance" about this lovely warmth!

I am planning on some serious grandkid fun this weekend! Time to unpack the wiffle balls and bat, test drive the plastic bases I got for a buck at the DollarTree, and even indulge in some serious dinosaur tag – unless my grandkids have outgrown that over the past few months, in which case we'll have to move on to freeze tag. Definitely time for some fun outside activities for grandparents and grandchildren!

We have three or four days to seriously enjoy a delightful, if slightly faux, spring before, gulp, Weather.com shows snow once again! You know what – I'm going to ignore that and just have fun. My senior mom and I went for a slow-paced walk around two long blocks today, and I went alone for a fast-paced one block. It was great! And to be honest, if I don't start doing this pretty regularly, my 5 pound winter-weight gain may turn into 10 pounds in which case I will have to dig out my two favorite diet books:

South Beach Diet Recipes – A very healthy, efficient, and tasty diet. Usually if I spend a couple of weeks eating meals from the South Beach Diet Phase 1 recipes, I can resolve any small weight issue before it turns into a BIG issue. 

Serotonin Power Diet – if I'm more in the mood for healthy snacks with some carbs instead of cheese sticks, this is the diet for me. 

They're both great diets and have been a big help at various times of my life, but if just walking and grandkid-playing will do the trick, I'll be a happy camper! And I definitely need to do something soon. Otherwise, my wardrobe won't be fitting me too well. I don't need all elastic waist pants right now, but I definitely appreciate my Lee side elastic blue jeans! The joys of the Baby Boomers Generation! 

Speaking of spring, faux or otherwise, can you believe the first day of spring is March 20, 2010! And clocks get to Spring Forward even sooner – on March 14, 2010!  Woohoo! The afternoons will last longer, the days will be a bit warmer (we hope), and before we know it, it will be lovely spring weather for sure! Can you tell I'm excited!!!! So are my grandkids!

How about you? Do you have spring-type weather in your neck of the woods? Any play plans with your grandkids this weekend. Or perhaps a leisurely stroll with your aging parents? We'd love to share this moment of "spring fever" with y'all!  And don't forget to sign up for the SandwichINK FREE email for plenty of fun spring ideas in the coming months for Sandwich Generation senior home care givers and grandparents. 

I was reading various news headlines for boomers and seniors dealing with the various Sandwich Generation issues. One in particular caught my eye. Beep! It's Your Medicine Nagging You, over at the Wall Street Journal, discusses a high-tech way of managing medications. There have been several news articles recently about elderly patients not taking all of their medication. Sometimes, they haven't even picked them up. Designers have created a special, "wi-fi" medicine bottle that can beep at the patient to remind them, or even be programmed to send email reminders to the patients, the doctors, or the family member taking care of their elderly parents, to help them remember. 

Another article, Most Frequent Medical Error? Making No Appointment, Researchers Say, at McKnight's, points out that many patients aren't making follow-up appointments to specialists that their regular doctors have recommended. There again, high-tech solutions are being considered, such as healthcare IT.

Those solutions sound great – for myself as well as other members of the Baby Boomer Generation or younger. For the elderly who have mostly grown old with little or no computer experience, maybe not. I can't, of course, speak for everyone. I can however speak for many, as I have elderly relatives with a wide variety of computer experience – from a lot to absolutely zero. For most of them, even those with some experience, the high-tech solution would probably not work that great.

Most of my elderly friends and relatives would have a very difficult time dealing with a medicine bottle that beeped at them to remind them to take medicine. It could be especially confusing if they have to take several medications through the day. We tried non-electronic pill dispensers and they even had a hard time with those. Electronic would have been an even harder learning curve. 

Computerized phone reminders are so-so as well. I got two today – one for my senior mom and one for myself. Same office, same appointment – two different messages (go figure!). One only required them to listen to it, but it was silent for a few seconds before it even started. I've learned to wait for those, due to past experience. My senior relatives have a tendency to get frustrated easily, thinking it's a wrong number, and hang up right away. The second call required me to listen to a long message, then press 3 to confirm the appointment. I have a couple of elderly friends who are doing just fine overall, but who would have gotten mixed up by that point – if they didn't just hang up early because they weren't comfortable with the process.

I think high-tech will be great for those of us who are using computers extensively, but nothing takes the place of a dear relative, good friend, or other responsible person taking care of their beloved elderly parents or other dear seniors as they deal with doctor appointments, taking medications, and following up on treatments. I heartily recommend encouraging your senior parents to start letting you get involved before they really need it, so that you can be "in the know" when an emergency hits unexpectedly.

When my dad's Parkinson's started getting much worse, and they had a hard time remembering what their doctor told them at their last appointment, I asked if I could start going with them to the doctor's and I was so happy when they said yes. Once I started going, I wished I'd asked sooner. I am a mega-note-taker and would write down everything the doctor said. That paid off for all of us in so many ways, I highly recommend it. It's also very helpful for the doctors and staff to get to know you in case of any problems. 

The end result of my getting so involved is that we were all able to stay on top of doctor appointments and medications more easily, and my senior parents were so much more relaxed and happy to share that burden with me. Not every parent will feel that way, of course, and this is definitely one of those areas that requires much compassion and sensitivity. But if it's at all possible, it will be a blessing for them, and for you as well!

What ways have you found useful to help you as you are taking care of your elderly parents and helping them with medical appointments and taking medications? Have you found any electronic gizmos that your elderly parents can handle? Are you interested in trying a high tech medication reminder? If so, ActiveForever has an interesting . If you prefer low-tech, Amazon has an easy open pill organizer.

P.S. For another good resource to help those of us taking care of our elderly parents, check out The Complete Eldercare Planner by Joy Loverde. Just click here. 

Kaye

My senior mom and I had a delightful Saturday afternoon at Michael's this past week. After writing about Easter, Easter crafts, and Resurrection Easter Eggs, I was really "In the Mood!" (Boy, first a Gershwin tune, now it's Glen Miller on my brain. You can tell I still love the songs I used to enjoy with my grandparents AND my senior parents. ) I found several fun projects for my grandkids and myself to have fun with, particularly during this season of Lent and Easter.

I started remembering how much we enjoyed doing weekly projects that led to my weekly Advent posts last December, as part of Troc, Broc, and Recup's "A Pause In Advent." "Wouldn't it be nice to do something similar for Lent," thought I.  That led to me popping over to visit Floss and see what she was up to. There I discovered she'd already thought of this idea and started it last week! How grand! Naturally, I signed right up.

Each Monday between now and Easter, I'll be posting about ways my grandkids and I will be preparing for Easter. As with Advent, my focus will be on Easter arts and crafts with my grandkids, with music and conversation about Easter woven through our time together. You'll also find a link to Floss', Troc, Broc, and Recup, where you will then find links to several other bloggers who are also talking about Lent – from a traditional and somber focus of Lent to my more relaxed, grandkid focus, and plenty more ideas in between. I'm looking forward to reading what others are doing and thinking, all around the world, during this special time.

It will be a wonderful way to keep our eyes, and our grandkids' eyes, fixed on Jesus and on the cross during this Lenten season, and help to teach them more about what Easter means. It's so important for them to know the importance of Jesus Christ and His resurrection and this is a great way to supplement all that they get at home and church.

While at Michaels, my senior mom and I found some cute little wooden cross magnets in different shapes. They were only $1 for a package of three so I bought several of them. I'll be mailing some off to my sweet long distance grandkids and taking the rest over to my local grandkids. Instead of the enclosed markers, they'll have fun coloring them with the Crayola washable markers I am never without! (By the way, you can ) The older grandkids might enjoy these wooden cross magnets on their school lockers and the younger ones will love to see them adorning their refrigerator. Working on them will be a perfect time for my Lent and Easter playlist, so I have to be sure I get that done this week!

What about you and your grandkids? Do you have any fun Easter month traditions together? We'd love to hear about them. And don't forget to sign up for the FREE SandwichINK email for more fun holiday resources and ideas for Sandwich Generation senior home care givers and grandparents.

As Sandwich Generation senior home care givers and grandparents, we can have good days and we can have difficult days. A good chuckle can brighten almost any day, lifting our spirits, as well as those of our beloved elderly parents. I saw these two and they gave me such a sweet laugh, I wanted to share them with you.  

A merry heart does good, like medicine. Proverbs 17:22

The blessing about this type of "medicine" is that you can enjoy it as often as you like. When a senior parent is feeling a bit down because the weather won't allow him to take a walk. or a grandchild is not feeling well, a good riddle, a funny knock-knock joke, or a cute picture like this can put a smile on their face, and yours as well.

For more Word-filled Wednesday photos and inspirational Bible verses to encourage your hearts, be sure to pop on over to Critty Joy.

As you've probably noticed, I love praise and worship music, I love finding great ways to save money while being blessed by praise and worship music, I love Amazon's free music offers AND I LOVE sharing all of these with YOU. SOOO, here's a special Sunday blessing for each of you in the Sandwich Generation – free praise and worship mp3 songs from Amazon.

I pray these will be a blessing to you if you aren't able to get out to church, or perhaps as you head for church and are preparing your hearts with praise and worship music.

I am enjoying them all, but I was especially blessed by the lyrics to the Big Daddy Weave praise and worship song, "In Christ." They are especially comforting to this busy Sandwich Generation senior home care giver and grandmother, reminding me of the spiritual blessings I have in Christ, and I pray they will encourage you as well! Here are just a few of the lines:

In Christ I can do all things
In Christ I mount up on eagle's wings
In Christ I wait for a great reward
That I have in store
In Christ I have His righteousness
In Christ I have what I confess
In Christ I don't worry about all the rest
Cause everything I need to be is in Christ

And here's the whole song wrapped up nice and neat in a fun Smilebox Card!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Have a blessed Sunday. And don't forget to sign up for the FREE SandwichINK email full of resources to inform and encourage Sandwich Generation senior home care givers and grandparents everywhere!

SENIOR HOME CARE GIVERS:

Alzheimer's Disease – A perspective from the Front Row. Via @ElderCareRN

A New Year for Medical Advances. Via @Seniors4Living

Tips For Taking Care of the Elderly.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Increases Cancer Risk.

Addressing Senior Ailments as a Caregiver. Via @Carebuzz

Grab Bars are Great. 

Learn about more advance directives and 'Do Not Resuscitate' orders.

GRANDCHILDREN:

Fun with grandchildren – snow painting! I'd never heard of this fun idea before. I'll have to give it a try wiith my grandchildren some day.  

Happy Birthday to Cissy King today! Here is a clip of Cissy's first Lawrence Welk appearance. Enjoy!

When I was young, I loved going to my grandparents on Saturday nights to watch Lawrence Welk with them. I have such fond memories of those times. Now I am building similar memories with one grandchild as we watch the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana. I'm looking forward to sharing this video of Cissy King with her and enjoying a five-generation memory maker! 

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Through God we shall do valiantly.

SANDWICH GENERATION:

If you enjoy turning your photos into a lovely scrapbook album but don't have a scanner for your very old photos, you can use a Photo Scanning Service To Preserve Treasured Memories. 

Yummy SandwichINK Salad recipe at VegWeb.

10 ways to save money in 2010.  Via @FMFblog

Enjoy all those Christmas candy canes with a good conscience.  Peppermint candy canes have many benefits. (And when they run out, peppermint flavored Icebreakers gum is good too.)  

I personally recommend consulting with an attorney to prepare a will for yourself or an elderly parent. If you definitely prefer to do it on your own, or just want some ideas to do your own preparation before visiting your attorney, this site could be helpful.  Do Your Own Will, free online.

For more twitter resources for the Sandwich Generation and their homes, please visit SandwichINK Real Estate Info. Among other Twitter tidbits there, you'll find an interesting article about one of this member of the Baby Boomer Generation's favorite Judy Garland movies, Meet Me In St. Louis, complete with tons of interesting photos. Bet your senior parents would enjoy it as well.