Are You Part of the Sandwich Generation? Five Essential Tips / Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias
The Caregiver's Journey
Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster
5.0 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 4 November 2025
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Are you feeling overwhelmed trying to care for aging parents while raising children? Do you find yourself stretched thin between different generations, each with their own unique needs?
My name is Sue Ryan. As a caregiver for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, I understand the unique challenges faced by those in the sandwich generations. I recently spoke with Christy Byrne Yates, a licensed educational psychologist and author of “Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving in the Sandwich Generation.” Christy has personally navigated the challenges of caring for aging parents while raising her own children, and she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to help families thrive during this demanding season of life.
Connect with us and share your tips:
- Website: https://thecaregiversjourney.org/
- Donate: https://give.cornerstone.cc/thecaregiversjourney
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaregiversjourney/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecaregiversjourneys/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suearmstrongryan/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancytreaster/
- Email: sue@thecaregiversjourney.org, nancy@thecaregiversjourney.org
Full Show Notes
Additional Resources Mentioned
- Chirstyyates.com - https://www.christyyates.com/
- Support the nonprofit The Caregiver's Journey: https://give.cornerstone.cc/thecaregiversjourney
Takeaways
Tip 1: C — Choose Your Role as a Caregiver
The first step in successfully navigating the sandwich generation is making a conscious choice to embrace your caregiving role. Many people say “I didn’t choose this.” or “I had no choice.” We always have a choice. Even not making a choice is still a choice.
Tip 2: A — Address the ‘Elephants’ in the Room
Successful sandwich generation caregiving requires having difficult conversations early and often. These are the ‘elephants’ dancing in every family room that everyone sees — but no one wants to discuss.
Tip 3: R — Recharge Through Ruthless Self-Care
Recharging takes on critical importance when you’re caring for multiple generations. Self-care isn’t selfish — it’s essential for everyone you’re caring for.
Tip 4: E — Enlist Your Support Team
You’re not meant to journey alone, and this is especially true for sandwich generation caregivers who face multiple competing demands. Building a comprehensive support team is essential for sustainable caregiving.
Tip 5: S — Surrender Control and Embrace Grace
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of sandwich generation caregiving is accepting that you cannot control everything, even though you desperately want to. If everyone could just do things your way, life would be so much easier — but that’s not reality.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the Whole Care Network, helping you tell your story one podcast at a time. |
| 0:16.5 | Content presented in the following podcast is for information purposes only. |
| 0:22.8 | Views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests |
| 0:28.1 | and may not represent the views and opinions of the Whole Care Network. |
| 0:33.2 | Always consult with your physician for any medical advice. |
| 0:36.9 | And always consult with your attorney for any legal advice, and always consult with your attorney |
| 0:38.7 | for any legal advice. And thank you for listening to the Whole Care Network. |
| 0:51.3 | Think about the twilight zone of handing your teenagers the car keys while at the same time |
| 0:58.2 | trying to wrestle them away from your aging parents who should not drive. You're sandwiched |
| 1:06.1 | in the middle of that time of someone gaining independence and those losing independence, and you're navigating it all. |
| 1:16.9 | In this episode, I'm talking with my dear friend, Christy Byrne-Yates. She's a licensed educational |
| 1:22.7 | psychologist, author of building a legacy of love, thriving in the sandwich generation. So today we're sharing |
| 1:30.8 | five tips. Welcome. We're Sue Ryan and Nancy Treister. This podcast brings our years of experience |
| 1:40.0 | in a variety of family caregiving roles to prepare you to navigate your caregiving journey. |
| 1:45.3 | We're sharing our personal experiences, not medical advice, and because it's our passion to support |
| 1:51.3 | you on your journey, we believe no topic is on limits. Let's get started. |
| 2:00.6 | Christy, introduced to us what the sandwich generations mean. |
| 2:07.1 | Sure. |
| 2:08.3 | So typically the sandwich generation has meant someone raising children under the age of 18 in their home, so typical family. |
| 2:17.1 | But they're also then now |
| 2:19.9 | caring for aging parents. And it was a term that was coined back in 1981 by a social worker who |
| 2:25.9 | found this in her practice. But really, the sandwich generation is anyone who's kind of squeezed |
... |
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