It’s been an easier week in my life and I thought it might be a good time to start this project- a collection of musings from a particularly wild era for me. My daughter, Ella, is 16 months old, and my mom, Barbara, is 78 years old. I take care of them both and am a single mama after using a donor to conceive. I’m also a full time therapist, a friend, a hiker, a traveler.
I’ve been doing the sandwiched caregiver thing since Ella was born and caring for my mom increasingly since my dad died and especially since 2020 when I moved back home during the Covid Pandemic and in response to my mom being hospitalized for a possible medication issue (which also may have been a clearer sign something was going on with her memory).
My mom has Alzheimers. Currently in the moderate stages. She still lives alone but has had increasing difficulty with day to day tasks- cooking, cleaning, bills, etc. I’ve taken over and/or systemized most of these things, and she has risen to the occasion, but there is still a lot of support needed from me throughout the week.
They are both such loves. Ella is silly and loving and mischevious. Mom is empathetic and shy and sometimes a bit anxious. The two of them have a beautiful relationship and I am so glad we get to all be together in this time, even if sometimes it feels like way too much for me to handle.
Sandwiched 