What about you? Caregiver burnout | Dr Ginni Mansberg | Club Sandwich

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 QUESTION: [email protected]   In this episode: The Conversation: Sarah Macdonald and Dr Ginni Mansberg (GP and women’s health advocate) get brutally practical about what “real self-care” looks like in the sandwich years, and why midlife bodies hit a tipping point. 🔧 This Week's Hack: The minimum viable self-care reset: 1) Book a GP check-up and rule out the basics (iron, thyroid, sleep apnea, anything fixable). 2) Reset your sleep expectations and take snoring seriously (it can be a health issue, not just annoying). 3) Build one steady routine and a doable nutrition baseline (protein, fibre, calcium) without becoming a full-time meal-prep influencer. 💌 Listener Letter: Sharon asks how to spot burnout when her body has started rebelling after years of 10-hour days and caring for everyone else. 🔥 Hot Mess Moment: Sleep in your 50s, teeth grinding, snoring orchestras, and the myth that “good sleep” means eight perfect uninterrupted hours.   Meet the regular Clubbers: Melissa Reader - CEO of Vera and expert on Australia's ageing crisis. Jo Lamble - Clinical psychologist specializing in guilt and family dynamics. Dr. Ginni Mansberg - GP and women's health advocate who tells it straight. Dr. Stephanie Ward - Geriatrician helping you understand how we age. Kerry Milligan - Gogglebox star bringing humour and honesty to the sandwich generation.   Topics covered in this episode: - Carer burnout and the “body tantrum” warning signs - Menopause, inflammation, and why midlife health can suddenly slide - Cortisol myths, chronic stress, and what burnout can look like physically - Sleep in your 50s: what’s normal, what’s not, and when to investigate sleep apnea - Hypervigilance and insomnia (and why your brain won’t switch off at 3am) - Real self-care basics: check-ups, routines, food, movement, and asking for medical help - Brain health: routine plus novelty (learning new things without blowing up your life) - A gentle nudge to rethink alcohol as “the only off switch”   Episode sponsor: Altina Drinks - non-alcoholic craft wines for the end-of-day ritual. 15% off with code CLUBSANDWICH at altinadrinks.com   Credits Club Sandwich is brought to you by Vera, helping families caring for ageing parents navigate this stage of life, so you don't have to do it alone. Sarah Macdonald - Host + Executive Producer Melissa Reader - Commissioning Editor, Executive Producer + Clubber Rachel Fountain - Executive Producer Audio + video edits by Fountain Media Group Thanks and kudos to Sean Wayland for our awesome theme music Club Sandwich - hear more from Sean at seanwayland.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.