Club Sandwich

86% of us never have this conversation with our ageing parents. So we built you a way in. Free guide at https://putthekettleon.com.au — and a podcast episode to walk you through it. Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you. JOIN THE CLUB: Visit https://clubsandwich.community to join the tribe, access resources, and find our private Facebook community. SEND US YOUR QUESTION: hello@clubs...

Sandwich-generation carers don't get a holiday — not even on Mother's Day. Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you. JOIN THE CLUB: Visit clubsandwich.community to join the tribe, access resources, and find our private Facebook community. SEND US YOUR QUESTION: hello@clubsandwich.community In this episode: The Conversation: Sarah Macdonald and clinical psychologist Jo Lamble unpack the...

If a glass of wine has become your shortcut from caregiving stress to “I can finally exhale”, this episode is for you. Ageing parents? You’ve got them. We’ve got you. JOIN THE CLUB: Visit https://clubsandwich.community to join the tribe, access resources, and find our private Facebook community. SEND US YOUR QUESTION: hello@clubsandwich.community In this episode: The Conver...

Trying to work out aged care in Australia before you are forced into it? This episode is your practical starting point. Sarah Macdonald and Linda Mellors break down how aged care works, what My Aged Care actually does, when to start, what home care packages mean, and how to make early decisions that can save families stress later. Ageing parents? You’ve got them. We’ve got you. In this...

Are your parents living longer, but not necessarily living well? In this episode, Sarah Macdonald talks with author Lucinda Holdforth about the private thoughts many carers have but rarely say out loud: what happens when old age stretches on, frailty deepens, dementia changes the person you love, and the caring role starts to swallow your own life. Ageing parents? You’ve got them. We’v...

Worried about an ageing parent ending up in hospital? Caring from another city or another country? In this episode, Sarah Macdonald and Matt Preston talk about dementia, sibling guilt, hospital overwhelm, aged care delays, and why the smartest move is to plan earlier than feels necessary. Matt also reflects on the personal experience behind his current TV work on dementia: supporting his mum throu...

If your parent is ageing and still saying “I’m fine”, this episode is your nudge to stop waiting for crisis. Sarah Macdonald and Gogglebox's Kerry Milligan talk about the conversations families avoid until it is too late: downsizing, wills, advanced care directives, aged care, death planning and the cost of denial. Ageing parents? You’ve got them. We’ve got you. JOIN...

Feeling guilty all the time? Guilty you are not doing enough for your parent. Guilty you are not present enough for your kids, your partner or your job. Guilty for wanting a break. Guilty for even thinking this is all too much. In this episode, Sarah Macdonald is joined by clinical psychologist Jo Lamble to tackle one of the biggest emotional burdens of sandwich generation life: guilt. They unpack...

When your mum or dad insists everything is fine, but you can see the fall risk, the spoiled food, the missed cues and the slow slide, it can make you feel like you’re losing your mind. This episode is for the daughter who’s being called bossy when what she really is, is exhausted, worried, and carrying too much. Ageing parents? You’ve got them. We’ve got you. JOIN THE CLUB:...

They want to stay home. The hard part is making that possible. In this episode, Sarah Macdonald and Melissa Reader talk about one of the biggest questions families face: how do you help an ageing parent stay at home for as long as possible, without waiting for a fall, a hospital stay or a full-blown crisis? They cover the emotional pull of home, the practical reality of care, and the steps that ma...

If you’re caring for ageing parents and quietly thinking “I cannot keep going like this”, you’re not imagining it. Sometimes burnout is not a mindset. It’s your body calling in the debt. Ageing Parents? You've got them, we've got you. JOIN THE CLUB: Visit clubsandwich.community to join the tribe, access resources, and find our private Facebook community. SEND US YOUR...

Ageing in an ageist society can feel confronting, especially when you are caring for older parents while navigating your own changing body, identity and future. In this episode of Club Sandwich, Sarah Macdonald and Clubber Kerry Milligan (Gogglebox) explore how to age in an ageist culture, why invisibility can feel painful but also freeing, how body image and confidence shift over time, and h...

If you’re the sibling holding the whole system in your head and everyone else is “right behind you”… this episode is your permission slip and your playbook. Sarah Macdonald and clinical psychologist Jo Lamble unpack sibling dynamics when you’re caring for ageing parents, including why one person becomes the default carer (and why it stays that way). Ageing parents? Y...

Ageing parents? You’ve got them. We’ve got you. One minute you’re living your life, and the next, you look at your parents and realise everything has changed. Whether it’s a sudden health event or a slow "crumble," navigating the aged care system while holding down everything else - work, kids, grandkids, or just your own sanity - is the hardest job you’ll ever do. In...

Caring for ageing parents and quietly thinking “Something’s gotta give”? Welcome.  Because you’ve got them - and we’ve got you. The Sandwich Generation is finally getting the conversation we deserve. Club Sandwich is the community for those caring for ageing parents while juggling work, kids, relationships, and sanity. This is your tribe when family doesn't get i...

The Sandwich Generation is finally getting the conversation we deserve. If you're feeling the squish, our new podcast Club Sandwich is for you.  It's the community for those caring for ageing parents while juggling work, kids, relationships, and sanity. This is your tribe when family doesn't get it - or just isn't enough. And the best news is, Agehood host and Vera.guide CEO Melissa Reader is...

Most of us know we should talk about the end of life - but almost none of us know where to start. In this episode, Melissa Reader is joined by Dr Ira Byock, one of the world’s leading voices in palliative care, to explore how we can live and love more fully by facing what we often avoid. A physician, author, and global advocate, Ira has spent decades reminding us that illness and dying are n...

What does it take to face fear, to lead with love, and to truly care for others at their most vulnerable? In this episode of Agehood, Melissa speaks with Professor Steve Robson - former President of the AMA, doctor, and son - about the lessons he’s carried from rural Queensland to the frontlines of Australian medicine. Steve shares what jumping out of planes taught him about fear, the Christ...

When former NSW Minister Victor Dominello helped build Service NSW, he made government simpler for millions. But when his mum was diagnosed with dementia, he discovered just how broken the system still is. In this powerful conversation, Victor shares the reality of being a son and brother in the thick of caring, the toll it’s taken on his family, and his vision for a future where bureaucracy...

What happens when you get the call - the one that changes everything? Author and journalist Casey Beros found out when her dad was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Overnight she became organiser, advocate, and round-the-clock carer, all while parenting two young kids. In conversation with Melissa Reader, Casey talks about the heartbreak and humour of those years, the gaps in our health system, and the...

Kate Carnell has seen ageing and end-of-life care from every angle – as a pharmacist, as Chief Minister of the ACT, as a founding voice of Beyond Blue, and now as chair of Violet, the organisation behind Agehood . But this conversation isn’t just about policy or health systems – it’s about families, choices, and the very human side of planning for the end of life. In this e...

When someone we love dies, our world shifts in ways we can’t always name. Too often we’re left to navigate grief without a guide, unsure of what to say, how to feel, or even what’s expected of us. Dr Emily Musgrove is a clinical psychologist who specialises in grief, loss and trauma — and while her expertise is invaluable, what makes her work so powerful is her deep underst...

Holly Ransom is best known as a globally recognised speaker, strategist, and CEO of Emergent — the woman who’s interviewed the Obamas, led a G20 Taskforce, and worked with some of the world’s biggest companies. But in this deeply personal conversation, she opens up about the loss of her beloved grandmother Dorothy — and how grief, for the first time in her life, brought her...

Zenith Virago is a death walker — someone who walks alongside people as they approach the end of life. For more than three decades, she’s supported individuals and families through death, grief, and everything in between — from the bedside to the burial, from the paperwork to the heartbreak. In this powerful and moving conversation, Zenith invites us to see death not as a medical...

Geraldine Doogue is one of Australia’s most respected journalists and broadcasters. And in this episode, Geraldine reflects on losing her husband, Ian Carroll, in 2011 — and the reality of walking beside someone you love through their final chapter. She talks openly about the moments of courage, the guilt that lingers, the memories that endure, and the relief of honouring Ian’s w...