A Day in the Life of a “Sandwich Generation” Caregiver
Being a caregiver is a full-time job. Being a caregiver and a parent? Being a caregiver and a parent to three boys? Being a caregiver and a 3-boy mom and in a two physician household? That’s a never-ending balancing act.
Dr. Shruti Roy, D.O.
Published on July 22, 2025
Being a caregiver is a full-time job. Being a caregiver and a parent? Being a caregiver and a parent to three boys? Being a caregiver and a 3-boy mom and in a two physician household? That’s a never-ending balancing act. Between school drop-offs, doctor’s appointments, and managing two households, every minute of the day is spoken for. Here’s a look at a typical day for me juggling all the roles- before I ALSO helped create HeroGeneration!
5:30 AM – The Day Begins
The alarm goes off, and there’s no time to waste. Quick workout, shower and then of course, coffee—because surviving the day depends on it. Then it’s straight into making breakfast, packing school lunches and getting ready for the chaos ahead. Of course, on days my husband is not performing surgery with an OR start time of 5:30am-6am, it is definitely nice to have an extra set of hands. Otherwise, it’s ALL on me!
7:00 AM – Kid Wrangling & Parent Check-In
The kids are up and dressed and (hopefully) ready to go without too much chaos. While they eat breakfast, there’s a quick check-in with Mom and Dad to make sure they’re doing okay this morning.
8:00 AM – School Drop-Off & Caregiver Mode Activated
Three water bottles and lunches in backpacks, snacks ready to go, homework in backpacks, backpacks on, jackets on, shoes on, and kids buckled in the car. Morning arguments taken care of. Whew. Once they’re at school, it’s time to switch gears and head straight to the parents’ house.
9:00 AM – Mom’s Doctor Appointment
The first big task of the day—getting Mom to her doctor’s appointment (i.e. avoiding any questions from dad!) which is 35 minutes away in rush hour traffic. Fun. Doctor visits can occasionally be a major surprise as my mom mentions a new symptom that she had not told me about. Way to make me look like a horrible daughter!
10:30 AM – Managing Errands & Phone Calls
Back at my parents' house, it’s time to handle the never-ending list of tasks they give me: ✔️ Pay parents’ bills ✔️ Call the plumber for their sink repair ✔️ Order prescription refills ✔️ Schedule Dad’s neurology follow-up ✔️ Try to figure out why my dad's wifi is slow
11:30 AM – Personal To-Dos (Sort Of)
Finally, a moment to tackle some of my own things—doing the kids’ laundry, washing dishes, paying bills, and volunteering at the school library. Lunch? Protein bar on the go. By this time, I usually get a phone call or text from my parents with another new task to tackle.
1:00 PM – Pharmacy & Grocery Run
Time to pick up medications for Mom and Dad and grab groceries for both households. Luckily, my goal in life is to make everything a game on efficiency and I have the double grocery buying and separating thing down.
2:15 PM – School Pickups Begin
The transition back to “parent mode” starts with school pick-up. Youngest gets picked up first and then 15 minutes later, the twins. 15 minutes to decompress? Nope, not if my youngest can help it- this is usually his first episode of being hangry for the day.
2:40 PM – Homework & Dinner Prep
Once home, it’s straight into homework supervision, answering a million questions from the kiddos, taking care of my youngest's second episode of hangry-ness, all while prepping dinner. Making sure I have enough snacks and water in the car for the next 3 hours is also key!
4:00 PM – Gymnastics Drop-Off
The youngest has gymnastics (or fill in the blank), so it’s another trip out. Twins do their homework while I keep my eyes glued on my youngest because if he catches me not watching him, I will get yelled at ;)
5:00 PM – Piano Lessons for the Twins
Now for the twins’ piano class and by this time, my youngest is hangry again. Snacks and IPAD to the rescue while I respond to emails and take care of work stuff from the car. Once the twins are done, we are on our way to the next activity.
6:00PM – Tennis Time
Piano- done. Tennis lessons for the kids are next. Again, I have to watch or my youngest won't ever let it go that I did not watch every good hit he had.
7:00PM – Dinner & Evening Routine
Finally home and it’s time for dinner– and depending on the day, a glass of wine (for me, just in case you were wondering).
7:30 PM – Walk to Check on Parents
A quick evening walk over to Mom and Dad’s with the kids so they can have some quality time and to make sure my parents are all set for the night.
8:30 PM – Bedtime for the Kids
Kids brush, change into pajamas and read until lights out, while my husband and I tackle the kitchen.
9:00 PM – Catching Up & Prepping for Tomorrow
Usually this time is spent getting the kids to stop coming into our room and asking us questions. “Remember when we went to Hawaii?” “How many days until my birthday again?” “Dad didn’t give me a real hug” “I had a nightmare”-- oh really, buddy? Because you haven’t even closed your eyes yet to have said nightmare. Once that routine is settled, time to respond to emails, texts, catch up on CME and plan out the next day. Because tomorrow? It all starts over again.
Weekends?
Weekends don’t bring a break—just a different version of the same responsibilities.
It’s exhausting, but it’s also full of love. To all the caregivers out there with schedules like these, doing the impossible every day: You are so appreciated.
About Dr. Shruti Roy, D.O.
Dr. Shruti Roy is a pediatrician and mom of three who spent years coordinating care for children in urgent care and emergency room settings. But when faced with managing the care of her own aging parents Shruti encountered firsthand the overwhelming gaps in caregiver support. Juggling her career, motherhood, and caregiving opened her eyes to how isolating and challenging this role can be, even for a medical professional. Today, Shruti is passionate about empowering families who are caring for loved ones across generations. She shares both medical insights and personal lessons learned from living this balancing act every day.