The Sandwich Generation: Sarah Macdonald on Ageing Parents & the Invisible Mental Load

What happens when caring for the people who once cared for you becomes one of the biggest challenges of your life?

This week Marie Claire Australia Editor Georgie McCourt is joined by broadcaster, journalist and bestselling author Sarah Macdonald for an honest conversation about ageing parents, motherhood, work, grief, guilt and the invisible weight carried by so many women.

Sarah is part of Australia's sandwich generation, caring for her 92-year-old mother and 94-year-old mother-in-law while navigating family life and a demanding media career. She opens up about the reality of caring for ageing parents, from managing the practical and emotional load to the moments of frustration, grief and unexpected joy that come with watching the people who raised you grow older.

The conversation also explores what it means to be part of the sandwich generation: raising children, caring for ageing parents, maintaining a career and trying to hold onto a life of your own. Sarah shares why women need more recognition, support and honest conversations around caregiving, and why simply hearing the words "you're doing a great job" can mean so much.

This episode covers:

• Sarah Macdonald on life in the sandwich generation
• Caring for ageing parents while raising a family
• The invisible mental load of caregiving
• Balancing motherhood, work and caring responsibilities
• The impact of caregiving on women's careers
• The career opportunities Sarah had to let go
• Advocating for her father at the end of his life
• The grief and guilt that comes with watching parents age
• The emotional and practical realities of unpaid care
• The importance of simply saying "you're doing a great job"
• How women can prepare for their parents getting older
• Finding moments of joy while caring for ageing parents
• What Australia needs to do differently for unpaid carers
• Why the sandwich generation is one of the defining issues facing women today

You can find Sarah's podcast Club Sandwich here

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Credits:

Host Georgie McCourt

Edited by Helen Smith

Head of Vodcasting Rachel Fountain

With thanks to our amazing team at Marie Claire

You're Gonna Want to Hear This is a production of Marie Claire and Are Media.

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