Stay at Home Resources for the Sandwich Generation

Well, here we are! Many of us who are non-essential employees are at home with family members, finding creative ways to accomplish OUR essential tasks while helping those who rely on us.

What this may look like:

• Remote work from home—if your position and employer allow remote work.
• Job searching—if you are currently among the 8.5 million unemployed (according to the New York Times, 4.3.2020).
• Homeschooling—if you have young children or grandchildren at home.
• Caregiving—if you have a parent or other relative living with you, in an assisted living community, or critical care center.
• Self-care—oh, right, we must save time for that too!

Stay-at-home orders are both a curse and a blessing. Some of those I have shared conversations with say they are enjoying the slower pace and extra time with the family. Others have said they are even busier balancing all the tasks mentioned above. Where do you fall?

Over the last few weeks (exactly how many, I can’t remember since the days are blending together), I’ve found several resources to help with these tasks. You may find several new online experiences to make midlife and family life easier (p.s. none are affiliate links).

Food Delivery Services:

While these are all great services to simplify and minimize your social gatherings, I cannot offer my experiences with these (I cook from home and rarely eat at restaurants). However, these are popular services which my local news radio station, KMOX, frequently mentions. Additionally, these services are offering free- or reduced-cost delivery fee during self-isolation. Additionally, the links provide helpful information to keep you and the family well-fed. Make sure to tip your delivery folk; they are working hard, long hours to keep us going!

Uber Eats            https://www.ubereats.com/

DoorDash            https://www.doordash.com/

GrubHub             https://www.grubhub.com/

Postmates          https://postmates.com/

Grocery Delivery Services:

As stated previously, I cannot offer testimony for these services, but these grocers offer delivery services to assist with the health and safety of the community. The stores listed below are grocery chains specific to the Midwest. To find your favorite store can be accomplished with a search of [your favorite store] delivery. Their websites and newsletters are full of helpful information for any time of the year too. Remember to tip your delivery people!

Schnucks Grocery                                   https://nourish.schnucks.com
Dierbergs                                                 http://www.dierbergs.com/Pick-Up-Delivery
Aldi Delivery                                          https://www.aldi.us/en/shop-now/grocery-delivery/

Instacart Grocery Delivery                       https://instacart.com
Wal-Mart Grocery Delivery                      https://grocery.walmart.com/
Amazon Prime Now Grocery Delivery     https://primenow.amazon.com/

 For more information on ordering groceries online, visit How to order groceries online: comparing services.

Remote working resources:

I’ve been a remote worker for 12 years—and love it. It could be because it fits well with my introvert tendencies, yet there are still adjustments needed if this isn’t your “style”. The good news: there are plenty of remote services to choose from and as businesses restructure their operations, more remote services will be developed that will redefine the workplace. Some of the oldies but goodies are:

• Zoom
• Uber Conference
• Skype
• Google Drive
• Excel

Additional tools I use and rely on are:

Monday.com http://monday.com/: a helpful tool for project management—and with everyone home, there are lots of projects going on! Users are able to create private boards or group boards, and it is easy to check progress for each project. This services offers many pricing options to fit your needs. I also appreciate the excellent video tutorials and quick turnaround time by their support team.

Slack.com https://slack.com/: this tool “brings teams together, wherever you are”. The learning curve is low on this tool and it is easy to bring other team members into the channels. It eliminates the hassle of emailing everyone and losing track of discussions.

The links below also share helpful information for establishing a work-from-home (WFH) lifestyle, especially when you are suddenly tossed into it.

Tips for Working at Home:

https://www.npr.org/2020/03/15/815549926/8-tips-to-make-working-from-home-work-for-you

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-work-from-home-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-3

Remote resources for your stay-at-home students:

Speaking of school, Zoom is popular for social interaction with your child or grandchild’s classmates. My granddaughter’s school and teachers establish weekly Zoom conferences with the class for lessons and interaction. Her teacher also arranges virtual classrooms with fun experts from the region.

Here are additional resources for your stay-at-home students:

Ideas and Free Educational Materials for Kids at Home:

Scholastic’s Free Learn at Home: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html

Varsity Tutors: here’s a service highlighted by my local news radio station. The Chief Academic Officer for Varsity Tutors, Brian Galvin, has made several appearances on KMOX and other media sites to discuss how they help parents and teachers with at-home learning. Additionally, Varsity Tutors is offering live online classes and useful tools to help at home. Extra bonus: Free to all! https://www.varsitytutors.com/

Class Dojo https://www.classdojo.com/: this is the system my granddaughter’s teacher uses and I have no complaints. It reminds me of Facebook as it has similar systems for sharing pictures and messaging the teachers.

Facebook video chat: I use this tool so my granddaughter can “visit” with her friends. To make this work, connect with your child’s (or grandchild’s) parent and schedule video sessions.

Job Seeking:

In early March 2020, we had near record-low levels of unemployment. Sadly, that changed in under a month and as of April 2020, we are at record-high unemployment. I’ll have more on job seeking next week, but for now, LinkedIn is your job hunting friend! I recently hosted a discussion on job seeking and covered several helpful points for job seekers over 50. Listen here for Job Hunting After 50: Tips to Beat Ageism and ATS. (A detailed blog will follow next week.)

Celebrating Life after 50:

Here’s a meetup for YOU! Two years ago, I co-founded the local (to St. Louis) meetup called Celebrating Life after 50. The purpose is to offer information, resources, support, and friendship to those over 50. The meetup now has 1300+ members and is no longer limited to the St. Louis area. With the surge in online meetups, we’ve gone virtual and are open to the public. Upcoming topics include, Living Alone While Sheltering in Place: How to Nurture and Nourish; a discussion on Social Security for those with limited income; how to make your money last in retirement. Please join us here: https://www.meetup.com/Celebrating-Life-After-50

Caregiving resources:

Caregiving is tough enough without adding stay-at-home orders into the agenda. Whether an elder is living with you, at a rehab center, or retirement community, keeping up with their needs adds a different challenge. These resources have helped me and those I have interviewed over the last several weeks:

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Tips for Dementia Caregivers

The Parent/Caregivier Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019, by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

And most importantly is SELF-CARE! Even though the last item covered, it is most important for all of us. You hear the advice all the time, yet I want to reiterate the importance of ME time. Find your own space and time, then make sure your loved ones know you need your uninterrupted time.

Additionally, exercise is a top must. Getting out of the house for fresh air and time with yourself does wonders to clear the mind and soul. For those who aren’t fond of exercise, take a short walk with a child or grandchild to loosen up. Walk the dog. Walk around the neighborhood, if there is space to do so.

For those who love to exercise, check in with your favorite fitness center. Many are offering free online virtual classes. Search for “exercise to do at home” and you’ll find endless ideas. I use an app called DownDog. All their classes are free until May 1. They also offer Downdogapp for schools and Downdogapp for healthcare professionals, both of which are free until July 31. I recommend all!

There you have it! These resources are those I use, do use, or have received recommendations for. What would you add to the list? Please share below, but also share with others.

Be well; stay well!

Kristen

photo credit: pexels at pixabay