REGISTRATION OPEN FOR ‘SANDWICH GENERATION’ CONFERENCE

As life expectancy continues to rise and middle-aged adults are increasingly raising young children or financially supporting adult children, many Oklahoma City metro baby boomers and Gen Xers have joined the ranks of the sandwich generation — those who are “sandwiched” between bringing up children or grandchildren and caring for aging parents.

The University of Central Oklahoma will offer resources, information and support for these caregivers at the UCO Sandwich Generation: Multi generation al Care giving Conference and Resource Fair, set for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 9 in Central’s Nigh University Center. There is no cost to attend, however advance registration at www.uco.edu/ sandwich generation is required ., and space is limited.

The day will include Paul Taylor, a generational expert and former executive vice president of the Pew Research Center, as keynote speaker; more than a dozen informational breakout sessions; lunch and a resource fair with representatives from nearly 40 organizations, including the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Areawide Aging, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City County Health Department, the Social Security Administration, Sunbeam Family Services and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Caring for children, grandchildren, parents and family members with or without disabilities while at the same time having responsibilities to a spouse and full-time work can cause stress, depression, physical illness and financial burdens,” said Ann Barnes, director of UCO Human Resources.

“As we set out to assemble resources for our own ‘sandwiched’ community members at Central, we were advised of the Oklahoma City metro’s great need for an event or conference that would bring local caregiving agencies and services leaders together under one roof. We are very excited to offer this event to our community.”

The event is sponsored by UCO Human Resources, UCO Professional Development, SYNERGY HomeCare, OU Medical Center Edmond’s Autumn Life Center, Generations Healthcare, Grand Tapestry at Quail Springs, Home Care Assistance of Oklahoma City/Edmond, LifeSpring Home Care, Oklahoma Senior Journal and Well Preserved Advisory Group.

For more information or to register, go to www.uco.edu/sandwichgeneration or call UCO Professional Development at 974-3670.