Description: Alright, who else feels overwhelmed by keeping together the paperwork and passwords alone in The Sandwich Generation? Do we go digital with all of this or keep it analog? Yeah, we are asking ourselves the same questions, too! Season 2 of the podcast premiers with this mini-episode where Robyn Frank and Eliesa Johnson tackle one of our greatest challenges: organization. We discuss a system called ‘The Legacy Binder’ to simplify life admin - the medical, legal, end-of-life-planning, etc. and hopefully this can help us ALL make caregiving a little less stressful and more manageable when all of our shit is in one place. Did we mention how amazing scanner apps are? This episode isn’t deep but it is helpful!

Takeaways:

Creating the “Legacy Binder”: Put together both a physical binder and digital folder with all of these important things! You can create this for both your aging parents and your own family.

Digital Folder: Use a cloud service like Google Drive, Dropbox or iCloud. Make sure to keep things password protected for safe keeping!

Get yourself a Scan App: Scan Ace or Scan is what we use!

Folders can include:

• Personal Information
• Financial Information
• Legal Information
• Medical Information
• Digital Information + Password
• Home Information
• End of Life Wishes

Links and Resources:

Care Out Loud - Use their Conversation Cards,

Caregiving Cheat Sheets + Caregiver Resources - all in one place!

Chapters:

00:00 Document Organization Strategies

01:15 There's so much paperwork: How do we get ourselves organized?

02:47 Analog vs Digital Organization - Or make it a combo!

09:54 Category Tips for Organizing ALL the Info

17:44 Category Tips Continued

22:17 Starting the Conversation with Parents

25:23 Care Out Loud Resource for Caregivers

28:59 Outro

Does it feel like time is fragile with your loved one? We do too. The truth is, none of us know how much or little time we have left with one another. For our Season 1 finale, we don’t just go deep, we go to THERAPY with our friend, Stephanie March. (We highly encourage you to take a read through her popular substack, Pickle.)

Stephanie shares her story - and her personal journey - of saying goodbye to her mother Brigitte, who we all called Oma, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness and given six months to live. This is not an episode of fear or despair, but rather of light, love, the little things - and being brave enough to truly celebrate the time we have! We also touch on leading our children through the loss of a loved one and why we are all a part of ‘The long goodbye’.

Grab your Kleenex and come laugh and cry with us through this episode! It’s a journey you won’t forget!

Takeaways:

Whether we are caregiving for aging parents or facing a terminal illness, how can we celebrate the time we have?

It’s the small things in life that matter the most in the end.

How can we practice staying present and having connection through aging or a terminal diagnosis?

Death merch is a very cool thing.

Death nesting is also a very real part of the process.

Are we all in ‘The Long Goodbye?’

Legacy is about carrying forward the stories and values of those we love.

How do we raise our kids to learn about death and loss when we’re sandwiched?

Continuing the celebration at a memorial - in a fun way.

Links + Resources:

Subscribe to Pickle by Stephanie March on Substack.

Chapters

00:00 Season Finale Intro

02:40 The Story of Brigitte von Haken and her final gift

08:19 Facing Terminal Illness with Grace

13:35 Death Merch

15:50 Carrying out your loved one's wishes - even when they're not your own

16:21 Navigating Death and DNR Conversations

18:38 Honoring a Mother's Legacy

23:01 Celebrating the time we have - What matters most?

31:45 Guiding our children through aging and death when we're in The Sandwich Generation

42:42 The long goodbye to the final goodbye

57:25 Let the Celebration continue - Planning the Memorial in a *cool* way

01:03:20 The After-Party Crash of Death Burnout for Caregivers

01:06:13 Change + Living Life to the fullest - because we are ALL in The Long Goodbye

01:09:50 The Gift of Being Yourself

01:10:23 Rapid Fire Questions with Stephanie March

01:13:05 Cheers to Season 1 and Oma: Simplex Munditiis!

01:13:46 Reflections on the Journey and Future Aspirations

01:14:58 Outro

We can all relate to the chaos of the holiday season and when you’re in The Sandwich Generation, things can feel…extra tricky. You’re packing up the strollers, the walkers and packing diaper bags for both the young and old - ah! Yes! The Holidays! In this episode, hosts Eliesa Johnson and Robyn Frank talk about the hilarious predicaments of the holiday logistics when you’re caregiving, along with generational and religious differences, sentimental holiday traditions and even a visit from Santa! You heard right - Santa. We will also leave you with some tips and tricks that we can all use as we approach this holiday season! Yes - it’s an episode for us all!

Takeaways

• Things feel mighty tricky during the holidays when you’re Sandwiched!
• There are a lot of logistics, diaper bags, walkers and snacks packed for everyone.
• Emotions run high during holiday gatherings.
• The torch has been passed - and now it is our time to carry on or start new traditions.
• Consider hosting your holiday early - when the kids and grandparents' energy levels are the best - or before the sugar crash.
• Outsource that shit! The meal, the shopping, whatever you need to do!
• Happy Holidays - I’m setting boundaries this year!
• All that matters is our time together.
• What would you add to our holiday survival guide?

Chapters

00:00 The Holiday Chaos when you're in The Sandwich Generation

04:22 Robyn's Real Life Hallmark Story of Chrismukkah

08:18 Nostalgia and the Holidays - How did our parents do it all?

10:51 Eliesa's Christmas Tradition: Being Santa and the Elf

11:35 The Santa Legacy

16:47 Passing the Torch: When a new generation leads the Holiday

20:54 HO HO HO! A visit from SANTA!

25:37 Incorporating Parents in Holiday Celebrations

26:24 The Sandwich Generation Holiday Survival Tips!

35:09 Segment: To Laugh or Cry

37:34 Continued: The Sandwich Generation Holiday Survival Tips!