Senior Services has been a tricky business for me. While I really love working in the industry, I ended up in the sales end of the business. I really miss the role I had as an admissions director back when admissions was still a mix of social services and business. Now, admissions is the bottom line money and sales is about getting people in the door and in the bed. AAAHHHH, the good ole' days!!!
The "Sandwich Generation" is really having a difficult time with all their responsibilities. Taking care of mom and dad, the kids, sometimes auntie or uncle who never married. Many of these folks have a child with a disability that adds to the mix causing additional stress for the family. While most "scholars" have labeled this the the "Sandwich Generation", I call them the Oreo Cookies. Why? Because, they have to be hard on all sides but in the middle they are the sweet cream that we all love!
If someone was not caring, there is no way they could take care of an aunt that can't remember not to unplug the life alert, or forget to turn off the stove or dad who calls every 10 minutes because he can't remember what he wanted or mom who thinks Johnny stole her money or Uncle who thinks you are Sally who is the sweetest niece in the world because she always is there for him even though she lives 10 hours away. These people who care visit the nursing homes on a daily, weekly and monthly basis mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles and even just friends that they feel they need to care for. Some of them do this with no concern for their own health. Some of them do this with no complaints and no rewards. Most of them are very hardened to the life they have chosen but soft and squishy on the inside, the white sweet stuff.
Think about all the people you know in life, all the people that have taken care of someone else. Have they ever asked for anything for themselves? I teach a class for parents of children with mental illnesses and one of the first things we tell them is to make sure they are fine. We use the analogy of the flight attendant and the oxygen mask. When the mask comes down, who gets it first? The strongest person! That is because if the strongest person fails, no one will survive. The flight attendant always say "put your mask on first before you put it on your child." The lesson is we need to take care of ourselves to be strong for others.
This month is National Social Workers Month. I think the biggest Oreo Cookies in the world are Social Workers. They know when to be hard but I have seen them be very hard and when the client leaves, cry like a baby at how hard that was. So I ask everyone who reads this to please thank anyone you know who is a social worker. They deserve it!!
This little article was written by one of the biggest Oreo Cookies of all. I really miss client contact and at the age of 50 am actually considering going back to school to get my Masters in Social Work. I definitely could use some encouragement as I am not sure I am making the right move. So anyone who wants to clap for me please do so. In the meantime, just remember if you are an Oreo Cookie, stay strong but put on your oxygen mask first. Only the strong survive to help the weak!
Go forth and conquer the world!!
