Watching an aging parent with dementia slowly decline can be painful, and when that cognitive impairment directly affects your relationship with them it’s even worse. It’s not uncommon for seniors in the later stages of dementia to totally stop recognizing and remembering others, including their own adult children and grandchildren.
When you’re a Sandwich Generation member who’s caring for an elderly grandparent with dementia, your kids may start complaining about the amount of time you’re spending with grandpa or grandma, instead of them. Explaining to your children why their grandparent’s behavior is changing can also be difficult, and you could hear questions like: “Why can’t grandma take me to the park anymore?”, or “Why does grandpa keep forgetting my name? Trying to process those confusing feelings can oftentimes make kids feel sad, frustrated, and even jealous.
