Thousands of women feel the twists and tugs. They care for their children and their own parents at the same time. The Sandwich Generation is expected to grow with baby boomers and in September's Health Check -- a look at the toll it can take.

When homemade pizza is on the menu, Louise Wilcox's daughters are chefs in training. With five children ranging in age from five to 27, there's always a lot going on.

And there's Marice, Louise's mother-in-law, who also lives with them.

Louise says, "Trying to get her to one place and have someone pick the kids up from school, or helping her find her hearing aid or glasses -- it's busy."

Juggling the roles without support can lead to exhaustion, irritability, even depression. That's why Dr. Heather Titman says it's so important to share the workload.

Dr. Titman is a Geriatric Medicine Specialist with Alegent and she says it's important for people to, "know their limits and to not make promises that they can't uphold because at the time they make the promise they may not have all the information."

Technology can help. Marice now has a machine that helps her remember when to take medicine and her grandchildren are old enough to be helpers as well as her biggest fans.

Another help: before Louise does any of this, she schedules in something important.

"If I don't get my time, I don't have the patience for whatever I need to do," she says. "So Clifford and I go for a run every morning so I have time for just my own thoughts."

It helped her lose weight, and improve her own health making it easier to tackle dinner, or whatever else comes her way.

The Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging has some helpful advice, and there are support groups for caregivers.