My mother-in-law lost her husband last year so we go around there daily to check on her. She is in excellent health but at nearly 80 we do wonder what is around the corner. My son is in his second year at uni and always seems to come back home with a minor ailment. I'm giving him the talk about eating fruit and veg and getting exercise every day but I do wonder if he listens, a typical teenager. Now, I don't want this post sounding all doom and gloom as it's not, we have a good life but these are some of the things that we have to think about.
Recently, the Association of British Dispensing Opticians commissioned media agency, the Relations Group, to interview 2,000 members of the ‘Sandwich Generation’, asking them about how they look after their own health, that of their parents and their children.
The research found that looking after their eyes was a key area that was sacrificed due to lack of time, with some people not having been to the optician for a staggering 9 years or more.
I am part of the ‘Sandwich Generation’, a term invented in 1981 by social worker Dorothy Miller, which describes those who are “sandwiched” between looking after young children and ageing parents, as their primary caregiver.
This group is also growing as with the advancement of health care, the elderly are living longer than ever and women are having children later in life.
Eye checks are so important too. Many people in the 40-60 age range feel that they are too young for glasses and also too young for eye disease, instead of shrugging off the need for regular optical checks, yet this is precisely the age in which reading glasses become much needed and eye disease increases. I've been short-sighted all my life and my last eye check flagged up the need for simple reading glasses.
Recently, the Association of British Dispensing Opticians commissioned media agency, the Relations Group, to interview 2,000 members of the ‘Sandwich Generation’, asking them about how they look after their own health, that of their parents and their children.
They found that one in four people aged 40-60 spends more time looking after the health of others than their own, which isn't surprising.
Of those that look after others, 17 per cent admit that their own health suffers due to the demands of this, 20 per cent feel pressured by their growing responsibility and almost three-quarters place their child's health above their own. Well, you do, don't you?
Dispensing Optician and ABDO Board member Jo Holmes says, “Regular eye tests are readily available to everyone in the UK near their home. Many optical practices are open at weekends and have late night opening. A sight test is a vital health check and can detect early signs of eye disease before permanent damage occurs. Don’t just look after others: look after your own eyes too.”
Do you look after anyone? Do you take regular eye checks?
*Collaborative post
