#sandwichgeneration

FACT: We are currently experiencing a global Caregiving Crisis.

I just experienced  the affects of this crisis and it is terrifying.
 Here are some harrowing facts:

• 53 MILLION PEOPLE ARE CAREGIVERS  
• 75% OF THOSE WORK FULL TIME
• 30% OF EVERY WORKFORCE IS CARING FOR OLDER LOVED ONES
• $68 BILLION ANNUALLY IN CAREGIVER RELATED COSTS THAT AREN'T  CONSTRUCTIVE

Don and I  spoke with Debbie Howard, a former caregiver on a mission to change the way the world looks at caregiving so the impacts are not so devastating. Her work focuses on providing companies with support programs for working caregivers to mitigate the related risks of absentee-ism, employee turnover, and extra healthcare costs.

With the launch of  Aging Matters International and The Caregiving Journey in 2016, Debbie has brought her market research acumen to the world of caregiving. 

Her first book The Caregiving Journey: Information. Guidance. Inspiration supports individuals in going beyond logistics in managing their caregiving situations with ease and grace. 

Her second book The Caregiving Crisis: What It Costs Your Business and How to Fix It   (due out this spring 2022), helps companies with practical ways forward in terms of supporting their employee caregivers.

Debbie lived and worked in Japan for 30+ years; she founded Japan Market Resource Network (JMRN) in 1989, merged in 2012 to form CarterJMRN. 

Debbie translates consumer research into clear strategic direction for global clients across a wide range of categories (including Age-Tech). 

She served as President and Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) from 2004~2007, and as President Emeritus (2008~present)

LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
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Children below. Parents above. Stressed-out caregivers in the middle, who spread themselves thin between managing demands from spouses, careers, home, health and more. Also known as the "Sandwich Generation" or the "Sandwich Zone", as my guest today, Karen Osborne describes it. 

Takeaways:

1. It’s so easy to loose yourself in the pressure being in the sandwich zone, so you need to be aware of it.
2. There’s nothing like a situation of your child needing you and your support more than anything to highlight what is important in your life.
3. Sometimes as a parents we have to accept that we can’t give them everything they need and be willing to look outside the home for help.
4. As mothers we think we can fix everything, but the only thing we can do is let go. It may be hard to hear from others that your kids need something more than you can give them, but you need to listen.
5. Parenting lesson Number one is the importance of holding space for your children and listening without giving advice or passing judgement. It’s your silliness to sit in the muck with them and just be there.
6. Let them know that voice in their head is just a voice. and At that’s all it is.
7. It is a fine line to walk with your parents to maintain that you are the child and they are the parent when you are having to take care of issues for them and with them.  You don’t want to step on their independent toes.
8. Death and the talk around it and aging needs to normalized. Things change, they just do. Start talks and making plans with your parents when they are in their prime and  in a place to tell you what their plans are and what they want. 
9. ASK a lot of questions of your parents, their doctors and care providers. Get as informed as possible.
10. Make sure that your siblings are involved in all conversations. There’s so much baggage of childhood that you may need to work through now.
11. Make recording of your parents now. Get their voices and their stories so that you and your child have them in the future.
12. Being in the middle of the sandwich zone, it is easy to feel that you are living your life for everyone else. But you need to put yourself first sometimes. Stop setting yourself on fire to make others warm. 
13. Do something for yourself every day to bring yourself joy however infinitesimal it is. Care and invest in yourself as much as you do everyone else.
14. Being in the sandwich zone can put so much stress on you and your partner it just becomes a huge magnifying glass on issues. You are constantly in triage mode putting out fires all around you. It’s easy to lose the priority of honoring your connection as a couple. 
15. You gotta have each other’s back no matter what and you face the world toge

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Questions? Email me: lesley@lesleylmcshane.com

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Joey Paul Jensen is an award winning Casting Director, Movie Producer, Acting Coach, Motivational Speaker, and Peak Performance coach.  She also is a devoted caregiver who knows first -hand that miracles can and DO happen!

Joey has been a driving force working with talent in Hollywood for over 20 years. She is a BFA graduate of Disney’s Cal ARTS.  She has appeared as a speaker on Dr. Phil, E Entertainment, TLC, Access Hollywood, Nightline, and The Biography Channel as an expert on self image, acting and pursuing show business.

Joey is an entrepreneur and a business leader. She is president of Omnia Entertainment, part of Omnia Global with offices in Switzerland and Los Angeles. She is also the president of JP Casting, a movie and television casting company in Hollywood for over 20 years.
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Most notably, Joey co-produced and cast, the award winning SONY release of “Soul Surfer”. It is the famous story about how Bethany Hamilton overcame the struggle of losing her arm to a great white shark. Joey received the prestigious Artios Award for Casting Disney Channel’s “That’s So Raven” along with 12 other nominations which also includes the movie “Soul Surfer”. JP Casting is a casting company with over 70 feature film credits and more than 16 television series.­­­­­­
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Since 1994, Joey has cast live action and animated movies and series for Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids, Hallmark, Fox, CBS, ABC, PBS, Lifetime, Syfy, Universal, and Sony.
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Joey has taught acting since graduating college and has developed a comprehensive program that guides actors to a greater sense of themselves and their purpose in their acting careers. She is an inspiring and energetic speaker working with kids/teens and professionals about their impact on others, social and emotional awareness, and what motivates our behavior! What is driving us? Joey likes to make small thinkers or big thinkers into even greater thinkers and inspire them to grow in exciting and creative ways.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT FOR NURSING HOME REFORM BY SUPPORTING THE COMPLETION OF OUR DOCUMENTARY "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD PEOPLE" BY MAKING A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION THROUGH THE NATIONAL CONSUMER VOICE HERE or GO FUND ME
Follow us on Twitter, FB, IG, & TiK Tok 💜
Listen on your favorite platform 💜
If you like what you hear leave us some love. 💜