Hello again,

I hope your week has been well! If you didn't catch last week's newsletter, my Mom just moved across the country to be close to my family. My week has been packed, managing lots of appointments to help Mom find the right apartment and move into a different Airbnb, all while juggling my kid's playdates and long, fun summer days. In the middle of this, Mom mentioned she misses her friends back home, so naturally I did what any well-meaning daughter would do: I tried to set her up with a few women her age nearby. She got pretty upset with me and said she misses her friends but doesn't want new ones yet! Noted. Sometimes the job isn't to fix things, it's to just listen.

Underneath all of this, her cognitive decline has become harder to ignore, and it's adding real friction to an already massive move across the country. I'm hoping that once she's settled, we can get her re-evaluated and have a clearer picture of what we're working with. My daughter has started having some big emotional moments, with lots of crying, which is really unusual for her. I think some of the stress my husband, Mom, and I are feeling might already be seeping into her, so I've been trying to be more conscious of what I say in front of her and to spend more calm moments together. My son is thankfully so far unaffected - being two has its advantages.

Below, I'm sharing this week's roundup of Sandwich Generation articles of note. Til next week!
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Jenna

In the News:

• Care.com just released it's 2026 Sandwich Generation Caregiver Report. I love keeping up to date with news like this since it reminds me I'm far from alone. The most interesting statistic to me was that people become sandwich generation caregivers at just 34 years old on average, juggling kids and aging parents before they've even hit their forties! When I think about the immense pressure already facing people in that age category, especially financially, I realize even more how much support the sandwich generation needs.

Article of the week:

• ​Why Women Over 45 Can't Afford To Put off Annual Checkups. This reminded me of my article on a similar topic. We tend to put other people's needs over our own, but when other people are depending on us, this backfires for everyone. I've been working on a free printable to track annual screenings, and will share it in the next newsletter.

Quote of the week:

There was an excellent episode of the Mel Robbins podcast with Dr. Brackett, which you can check out here. It couldn't have come at a more helpful time for me, as I try to handle my own feelings with Mom and other family members while we help her navigate her new life. I already asked my husband to listen to it with me, since I think it'll be good for our relationship too.

Have your own Sandwich Generation story this week? Just hit reply, I'd love to hear it.