Surviving the SANDWICH GENERATION

It’s the term for people who are caught in the middle – those with living parents as well as children, all of whom they support. We speak to one woman and her family about how they cope

- MISHAAL KHAN

‘I LEARNT EARLY ON THAT YOU NEED TO BE ORGANISED’

Diane Jenkinson, 55, works at a peanut factory and lives in Swinton with her husband Darren, 51.

I can still remember relying on my mum Muriel when my daughter Kerry was small. While I worked, Mum – who was retired – often helped me out with childcare, while also looking after her own elderly mother. There was no doubt in my mind that when the tables turned and it was my time to step up, I’d be there to help Mum out while juggling my own commitments.

That time came in August 2012 when Mum was 77 and her husband of 20 years passed away from leukaemia. I didn’t want her to feel lonely, so I made an effort to check in on her even more frequently than before.

By now, Kerry was 19 and working as a care assistant. I started spending more time with Mum and, when I wasn’t working, I’d do her shopping for her, batch-cook meals and put them in her freezer. Juggling work with helping out Mum was busy but manageable, and in the October, when I met my husband Darren, then 43, I was grateful he understood and helped out with supporting Mum.

Then, in 2016, Kerry, who was with her husband Kyle by this point, had her daughter Heidi.

When Kerry returned to her job as a support worker after maternity leave, of course I wanted to help her out with childcare, just as Mum had helped me. It didn’t occur to me that I was taking on too much.

I didn’t question how I’d cope with work, looking after Heidi and providing support to Mum, all while enjoying my life with Darren. I wanted to do it all – and that was all that mattered.