The Working Daughter Manifesto
How do we do it all? This is how we balance eldercare, career, and life.
6 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Make Your Workplace More Caregiver-Friendly
No doubt, the American workplace could use a serious overhaul when it comes to accommodating the fact workers have lives outside of the job. The United States, after all, is the only country in the developed world without a national maternity leave policy and one of thirteen countries in the world that does not guarantee […]
A Call to Include Eldercare in the Paid Leave Conversation
The frustrating news: too often conversations about the need for paid leave focus only on parenting and omit eldercare. The good news: The Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, legislation that would create a national family and medical leave insurance […]
No, Caring For Your Parents Is Not “Parenting”
Caring for an aging parent is often referred to as a role reversal when the parent becomes the child and the adult child becomes the parent. It’s an understandable analogy; adult children are often called on to help their parents with activities of daily living like bathing, dressing and feeding. If a parent has cognitive […]
8 Tips for Caring for Someone with Incontinence
This is sponsored content written by me in partnership with Depend® brand. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Lookout for a special offer from Depend brand at the end of this post. “A hidden condition that is secreted by many and often feared due to loss of independence and quality of life.” This is […]
Despite the Stress, Caregiving ‘Very Meaningful’
In the Working Daughter community, we talk about how two different things can be true at the same time. Like when a sibling finally steps up and helps out with caregiving but… struggles with it. We may be grateful for the support, but also gratified that they are finally experiencing our daily challenges. Or, we […]
6 Reasons To Practice Self-Care
Yeah, yeah, we know. The term self-care has become almost as trite as the term “girl boss.” Self-care is used to describe everything from getting a mammogram to spoiling ourselves with a trip to Sephora. So what exactly is self-care? In Psych Central, self-care is defined as, “any activity that we do deliberately in order […]
Review: In-Home Medication Manager from Hero
One of the first stressors I felt as a working daughter was helping my mother manage her 14 different medications. For a long time she managed her own medication, sorting her pills into one of those plastic pill organizers she bought at CVS. Over time, managing her own medication became overwhelming and she wanted help. […]
10 Things You Shouldn’t Say to a Working Daughter
Family caregivers cycle through so many different feelings in a day. Don’t add an extra loop to their emotional roller coaster – make sure you know the 10 things you should never say to a working daughter. 1. I don’t know how you do it. Neither do I. And you know what? If I stop to […]
Working Caregivers Feel Unsupported, At Risk
While American workers face great pressures trying to balance work and care, employers are not offering the benefits these caregivers want. As a result, working caregivers often feel unsupported, and in many cases, at risk, at work, according to a new report from the Harvard Business School Project on Managing the Future of Work. The […]
6 Workplace Habits Working Daughters Should Eliminate
Job security is a major concern for working daughters. We worry about the impact our caregiving responsibilities are having on our careers. We worry that our managers and coworkers think we are unreliable. We worry that our jobs are interfering with our ability to care. The stress can be palpable. To minimize both your concerns, […]
How to Initiate Difficult Conversations with Your Aging Parents
Initiating certain conversations with our aging parents can be intimidating. Whether the topic is giving up driving, moving to a senior living community, accepting more help, or adhering to doctor’s orders, just thinking about broaching the topic can make us want to bury our heads in the sand like an ostrich. But when it comes […]
5 Tips for Choosing How to Spend Your Time When Your Life is Overloaded
If you are a member of the sandwich generation, one of the millions of women raising kids, caring for an aging parent, and trying to earn a living, your life is a series of constant choices. Choices that often feel impossible to make. Stay late and finish your work or squeeze in a visit at […]