The Sandwich Generation: Surviving “Maycember” While Caring for Everyone Else
What Is “Maycember”?
“Maycember” is upon us. If you are a parent of school-aged children, you are likely very familiar with the intense schedule demands of the current season: end-of-year recitals, awards ceremonies, graduations, band concerts, chorus concerts, championship games, and final farewells.
That is on top of the day-to-day responsibility of feeding, clothing, chauffeuring, and coordinating appointments for your children. Add in a career, and it’s a lot. Add in needing to assist a parent with deteriorating memory, increasing distress, and power struggles over their lack of independence, and it can feel like way too much.
The Unique Challenges of the Sandwich Generation
This is life for the sandwich generation. It is a specifically challenging place to live, and it can last for years. If you’re in the middle of this precarious sandwich, it can feel intense, lonely, and sometimes desperate. These caretakers need a wide range of support and specific tools essential for success during this phase of life.
Legal Planning Tools That Can Help Aging Parents
There are tools to help you support your parents during this season of life.
Power of Attorney
A power of attorney is a document that authorizes a person to name another individual to act as their agent to handle financial and contractual matters. This can help someone transact on your behalf, manage bills, and even assist with paying taxes.
Advanced Directives
An advance directive is a document in which a person nominates an agent to access medical information and make medical decisions on their behalf.
These two tools are crucial in assisting an aging parent with handling their affairs.
When Guardianship Becomes Necessary
What if your parents’ cognitive condition has declined so much that they are unable to execute these documents?
The other side of the coin is guardianship. Guardianship is another avenue by which one petitions the Court to appoint them as guardian of the person and/or guardian of the property of an alleged disabled person if the person needs assistance and is no longer able to care for themselves.
This is sometimes the only option when estate planning documents have not been prepared before a parent’s health has declined.
Why Parents of Young Children Should Plan Ahead Too
While these tools can be of great assistance in caring for your aging family members, putting them in place for yourself as a parent of young children is also beneficial.
Being in the middle of the sandwich is a very difficult place to be, but it is also an opportunity. Many clients realize when they are in this position just how important planning for incapacity is.
Parents of young children also have the added concern of ensuring someone is appointed to care for their minor children if something should happen to them.
Planning for Minor Children
This can be done by appointing a guardian for minor children via a Last Will and Testament and ensuring their financial care through planning with a Will or Trust.
Resources and Support for the Sandwich Generation
If you are in the middle of the sandwich, there are resources that can help. The links below can provide additional support.
How Maguire Law Can Help
At Maguire Law, we are sensitive to the fact that we are living in uncertain times. We aspire to work with our clients to protect them and their loved ones efficiently and cost-effectively, easing stress in uncertain times.
Contact Maguire Law to get started.
*This blog is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.
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