This term describes some adults who not only have kids, but also are taking care of aging parents.
Some nontraditional students going back to school after a break are now caregivers for their parents.
So what can this mean? It all depends. It depends how parents have planned for being ill or needing care. And it depends how brothers or sisters plan to help.
Some nontraditional students are stuck between the proverbial rock and the hard place.
How can a nontraditional student go back to school and spend time on studies, when Mom or Dad needs him or her? This can be a really hard question.
Does Mom or Dad want to stay at home? How can they pay for help?
I can see how taking care of Mom or Dad could make school or even a full-time job impossible.
Check out this posting about the Sandwich Generation. It has lots of great links to help with taking care of elderly parents.
And leave a comment. Are you in this situation? How are you coping with it? Are you going to have to make some hard decisions?
I would love to hear your story.
Betsyanne
Current (art) and former (education) nontraditional student.
And here are some more Nontrad links:
The Nontrad site and blog
Join Nontrads on Facebook
Nontrads on Yahoo, and
Nontrads on Twitter
I am quickly becoming a long-distance member of the sandwich generation. My dad has Parkinson's Disease. He is just about to move in with my youngest brother because he struggling with more frequent falls and just a general inability to move. It's a hard situation to be in for any child and compounded even more for those of us who are nontraditional students. For me, the support of a close-knit family and frequent cell phone calls to my dad help. Because he doesn't live close, I'm not directly involved in his life. But he's always on my mind and in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteBarb: thank you so much for your thoughtful posting. I am so glad that your family is close and supportive. What a hard situation. I hope that your Dad improves or stays OK for a long time, as I can tell you love him very much. Please keep in touch and let us know how it goes.
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