Forgotten Caregivers: Working Daughters Juggling Eldercare and Work with Liz O'Donnell
There are millions struggling to care for an elderly parent or relative, while also stepping into their careers, raising children, and being present in their lives, but no one really talks about it. We hear about working mothers, but we don’t talk about working daughters, though the populations are about the same size and at times overlap — Hello Sandwich Generation! 👋🏽 A working daughter is a woman who is navigating the intersection of eldercare and career. If you are the person responsible for taking care of your parents or the elders in your life, you already know a caretaker in eldercare differs significantly from childcare. The invisible labor, the overwhelming emotional experience, the shifting roles and the lack of societal support take the already challenging experience of caretaking to another level. In childcare, people talk about, have guides and groups to dive into the challenges, discoveries and nuances of youth and growing up, but with eldercare, people shy away from talking about the realities of death, illness and grief. This episode features Liz O’Donnell, the founder of Working Daughter, a community for women to have these conversations, offer advice, resources and support to one another. Nikki and Liz discuss the current eldercare landscape, the societal taboo associated with aging and chronic illnesses (like cancer and dementia, etc), the demographic shifts in America making eldercare more urgent, the impact of our inadequate public support systems, what workplaces/HR teams can do to support employees living this reality and the profound realities of prolonged grief. If you’re a working daughter, we want to hear your story, www.nikkiinnocent.com/jointheconversation