Club Sandwich
Club Sandwich is a podcast for the 'sandwich generation' — people caring for ageing parents while juggling work, kids, relationships and their own sanity. Hosted by veteran broadcaster Sarah Macdonald, it features clinical psychologists, GPs and geriatricians instead of life coaches, and tackles subjects like guilt, family dynamics and the physical toll of caregiving. Regular segments include This Week's Hack, listener letters, Hot Mess Moments and practical resources. The show is supported by Vera, an Australian aged care platform, and aims to build a community for caregivers who feel isolated.
Episodes
Having A Play: Trying New Things In Midlife | Indira Naidoo | Club Sandwich
" I always find that there's part of me here, and there's another part of me swimming with the fish in the sea at the same time." In this episode, Indira Naidoo joins Sarah to talk about her new role with the Sydney Theatre Company, spending time under her tree, and the importance of creativity in her life. They reflect on rediscovering play and creativity in midlife, the limits of journalism in
The Sandwich Years: Caring for Parents Before Crisis | Prue Bowden | Club Sandwich
"I'm alright, sweetheart. No, I don't need help." Every one of us has heard it. Prue Bowden runs home care for 50,000 Australian families, which makes her the person everyone corners at parties to ask about a parent who won't accept a thing. Today, she's in the chair talking about what to actually do next. Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you. Content note: this episode covers agei
Reviewing the Sandwich Generation on TV | Kerry Milligan and Melissa Reader | Club Sandwich
In this bonus episode, Sarah Macdonald is joined by Kerry Milligan and Melissa Reader to discuss representations of the sandwich generation on screen. Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you. This episode was supported by Australian Unity, home health and care services — australianunity.com.au/clubsandwich. With thanks to NSW Trustee and Guardian — search NSW Trustee and Guardia
"Grief Is A Wave" | Kerry Milligan: One Year After Emmie | Club Sandwich
Grief doesn't run to the timetable you were handed. A year after her mum Emmie died, Kerry Milligan thought she was managing well. Then she went back to Tasmania with a small plastic container of her mother's ashes, and found out that year one isn't a finish line. Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you. For support: Carer Gateway 1800 422 737. Griefline 1300 845 745. Lifeline 13 11 14, 24/
Grandpa in the Granny Flat | A 'Compass' Follow-Up with Janelle and Nicole | Club Sandwich
Legendary ladies Janelle Adams and Nicole Bennett are looking after Janelle's 94-year-old dad Ernie, Ernie's dog Bella, and their two boys Max and Sam – all under one roof. They shared their story with Sarah on last Sunday's episode of Compass (available on ABC iView), and on today's episode of Club Sandwich, they join us with an update about how life has changed since Sarah visited them. Fo
Stand Up. You Don't Have Time To Sit Down. | FACES with Melissa Reader | Club Sandwich
Melissa Reader provides an update on Vera's FACES campaign.FACES (Families for Aged Care Equity and Support) is a family-led campaign asking for one honest count of the number of people waiting for their aged care funding and the people who die while they're waiting. Add your name at vera.guide/faces.Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you. Put The Kettle On — Vera's free conversation
Caring in Crisis: How An Expert On Ageing Got Toasted | Gohar Yazdabadi | Club Sandwich
She found out she was a carer from a line buried in her dad's hospital discharge papers, not from anyone asking her. This week's guest lived the exact crisis she'd spent her career trying to fix. Content note: this episode discusses the deaths of both of the guest's parents within six months of each other, terminal illness, carer burnout, grief, and systemic failures in aged care support. For supp
The Paperwork: Power of Attorney, Wills and Estates | Marie Brownell | Club Sandwich
A will is only useful when you're dead, but the rest of the paperwork is critical long before that. This week's guest lives and breathes it for a living. Marie Brownell, Director of Estate Planning and Administration at NSW Trustee and Guardian, joins Sarah Macdonald to explain what a power of attorney, an enduring power of attorney, an enduring guardianship and a will each actually do, who needs
Launching the FACES campaign | Melissa Reader | Club Sandwich
Melissa Reader on the launch of Vera's new FACES campaign.FACES (Families for Aged Care Equity and Support) is a family-led campaign asking for one honest count of the number of people waiting for their aged care funding and the people who die while they're waiting. Add your name at vera.guide/faces.Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you. Put The Kettle On — Vera's free conversation
Kidults: When the Nest Doesn't Empty | Jo Lamble | Club Sandwich
Your kid finished school years ago. They're 22, or 27, or 33. So why are you still doing their washing? Clinical psychologist Jo Lamble is in the chair for the layer of the sandwich generation nobody names. Content note: this is a lighter, funnier episode than most, although the last few minutes touch briefly on ageing parents and visiting a grandparent in aged care. For support: Relationships Aus
Young Kids, Old Parents: The Double Squeeze | Maggie Dent | Club Sandwich
What do you do when your kids are still little and your parents are already old? The queen of common sense, Maggie Dent, is in the chair for the double squeeze. Content note: this episode includes honest conversations about death and dying, children's grief, and caring for a parent with dementia. Be gentle with yourself while you listen. For support: National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500 (24/7).
Divorce, Grief, and a Coven of Witches | Katie Noonan | Club Sandwich
What happens when your marriage ends in the exact season your parent needs you most? Katie Noonan knows, and this week, she tells us how you start again in the middle of everything. Content note: this episode discusses separation and divorce, grief and the death of a parent. Be gentle with yourself while you listen. For support: Relationships Australia 1300 364 277 (relationships.org.au) — c
After the Diagnosis: Caring for a Parent with Dementia | Dr Stephanie Ward | Club Sandwich | Dr Stephanie Ward | Club Sandwich
The same conversation, again and again. The strange ideas. The day they don't know your face. Part two of our dementia special is about how you cope when a parent is becoming someone else — and how to look after yourself while you do. JOIN THE CLUB: Visit https://clubsandwich.community to join the conversation.SEND US YOUR QUESTION: hello@clubsandwich.community In this episode:The Conversati
Forgetful, or Something More? Dementia, Delirium or Normal Ageing | Dr Stephanie Ward | Club Sandwich
We all walk into a room and forget why we came in. So how do you tell ordinary forgetfulness from the early signs of something more? This week, in part one of our two-part dementia special, geriatrician Dr Stephanie Ward shows us what to actually look for. JOIN THE CLUB: Visit https://clubsandwich.community to join the conversation.SEND US YOUR QUESTION: hello@clubsandwich.community In this episod
Tender Conversations | Live with Dr Kathryn Mannix | Club Sandwich
Most of us have a conversation we keep avoiding – about ageing, about more help at home, about dying. In this week's episode, recorded live in Sydney, palliative care physician Dr Kathryn Mannix shows us how to have that tender conversation.Recorded live at our Stay For Supper event, Sarah Macdonald sits down with Dr Kathryn Mannix — global campaigner, author of With the End in Mind an
Human Forever | The man who moved into a dementia ward, with Teun Toebes | Club Sandwich
Dementia is the leading cause of death in Australia, and a lot of what we believe about it is making things worse. This week, meet the man who moved in. 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:Ou
One text away from falling apart | Bianca Dye on caring for a parent with dementia | Club Sandwich
Sarah Macdonald and Bianca Dye on caring solo for a mum with dementia when you have no kids and no siblings to share the load – and why "I don't have children" doesn't disqualify you from the sandwich generation.This week Sarah Macdonald is joined by broadcaster Bianca Dye: an only child, with no kids of her own, and the sole carer for her 81-year-old mum, who has Alzheimer's-form dementia.
Driving Us Crazy | Taking The Keys with Dr Joanne Bennett | Club Sandwich
Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you. This week Sarah Macdonald is joined by Dr Joanne Bennett from the Australian Catholic University, designer of the upcoming 'Thriving Without Driving' program, to unpack one of the most loaded conversations in the sandwich generation: taking the keys.Together they map the three kinds of older drivers (the acceptors, the reluctants and the resistors),
A Landscape of Loss | Bob Carr on losing his life partner | Club Sandwich
Former NSW Premier Bob Carr on losing his wife Helena, and the year of grief that followed. A long, honest conversation about bereavement. Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you. In 2023, Bob Carr's wife Helena died of an aneurysm in his arms in Vienna, after a night at the opera. She'd been his constant companion for more than 50 years. The former NSW Premier and Foreign Minister has writ
Put The Kettle On | Five Questions To Ask Your Ageing Parents | Kerry Milligan and Jo Lamble | 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@clubsa
Mother's Day. It’s Different Now | A special Mother’s Day episode with Jo Lamble | Club Sandwich
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 r
Can You Do This Without a Drink? | Melissa Reader | Club Sandwich
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
Aged Care: The Sniff Test | When home is no longer safe| Club Sandwich
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 Our Parents Living Too Long? Lucinda Holdforth on frailty, dementia and dying well | Club Sandwich
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
Inside the geriatric ward with Matt Preston | Club Sandwich
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
Boomers! Get your age game on! With Kerry Milligan | Club Sandwich
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
Caregiving guilt is crushing you? Jo Lamble on how to stop carrying it | Club Sandwich
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
Denial: when your ageing parent says they’re fine | Dr Stephanie Ward | Club Sandwich
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:
Staying at home longer: they want to stay. But can they? | Melissa Reader | Club Sandwich
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
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
Ageing is a gift and a radical act (whiskers aside) with Kerry Milligan
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
Sibling conflict | How to get your brothers and sisters to help with ageing parents: Jo Lamble | Club Sandwich
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 is not for sissies | Dr. Stephanie Ward | Club Sandwich
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
Ageing Parents. You’ve got them. We’ve got you.
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
We've got some news: a brand new podcast for you!
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
Dr Ira Byock: On The Four Things That Matter Most
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
Fear and Love: What Medicine Can’t Teach with Steve Robson
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
From Minister to Carer: Victor Dominello’s Most Personal Challenge
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
Next of Kin: Casey Beros on Caring for Her Dad While Raising a Young Family
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: On what families need to know before it’s too late
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 ep
Dr Emily Musgrove believes we don’t need to fix grief
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: On love, loss & leadership
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
Inside the life of a death walker - with Zenith Virago
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: On the lessons her husband's death left behind
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
Funerals, PowerPoints & Party Pies: Dr Hannah Gould on doing death better
This week on Agehood, we’re diving into one of the biggest, hardest, and most universal experiences we’ll ever face: death. But not in the way you might expect. Dr Hannah Gould is a cultural anthropologist and researcher at the University of Melbourne’s DeathTech Research Network who is reimagining how we mourn, memorialise, and find meaning in the end of life. Drawing on bo
Carenting: Alex Lollback on raising her children & caring for her mother
When Alex Lollback received a string of anxious late-night texts from her mum, she had no idea it would mark the beginning of a year that would upend every part of her life. As the executive producer of Ladies We Need To Talk and a mother of two, Alex was already stretched — but when her mum’s physical and mental health rapidly declined, she found herself thrust into the thic
What Gogglebox didn’t show: Kerry & Izzy Silbery on love, dementia and letting go
This week on Agehood, we’re joined by Kerry and Isabelle Silbery — the mother–daughter duo you’ll know from Gogglebox Australia. For eight seasons, they shared their lounge room (and lives) with the nation, alongside beloved family matriarch Emmie. A few weeks ago, Emmie passed away following a long journey with dementia. In this deeply personal conversation, recorded short
Dr Kathryn Mannix has witnessed thousands of goodbyes. Here's what she’s learned
This week on Agehood, we’re having the conversation that matters most—but often happens least. Dr Kathryn Mannix is one of the world’s leading voices on dying well. As a former palliative care doctor, she's sat beside thousands of people at the end of their lives—and what she's learned might just change how you live yours. In this gentle and powerful episode, Kathryn shares
Why Nikki Gemmell is having the hard conversations now
Author and columnist Nikki Gemmell has never shied away from the hard conversations — and in this powerful episode of Agehood, she turns her lens inward. Nikki opens up about the painful, unresolved grief of losing her mother by suicide, and the emotional aftermath of not being part of her end-of-life experience. She shares the guilt she still carries, how that moment reshaped her think
The care cliff is coming: Bernard Salt on the future of family, aging & letting go
Australia is on the edge of a demographic cliff — and according to leading demographer Bernard Salt, we’re nowhere near ready. In this episode of Agehood, Bernard joins host Melissa Reader to unpack the numbers behind our aging population, the rising pressure on families, and the looming care crisis that will land hardest on women in their 50s and 60s. With his trademark clarity and in
Stuck between kids and aging parents: Sarah MacDonald on life in the middle
Journalist, author and broadcaster Sarah MacDonald has spent a lifetime telling other people’s stories — but in this episode of Agehood, she shares her own. Sarah opens up about losing her beloved father, a gentle obstetrician who championed women through birth but didn’t get the gentle death he deserved. She reflects on what it meant to become his advocate in a hospital sys
Agehood is here. Let’s talk about what comes next.
Welcome to Agehood. The podcast where we have the conversations that matter most but happen least often. Over the next 12 weeks, host Melissa Reader will sit down with some of Australia’s most trusted voices — from beloved broadcasters to leading experts — to talk about caregiving, aging, grief, and the invisible load carried by the sandwich generation. But before we
Introducing Agehood: The podcast for people who are quietly carrying it all
Dad’s had another fall. The kids are out of control. Your boss’s patience is wearing thin. No matter what you do, you feel like you’re letting someone down. And who is looking out for you? Welcome to Agehood. This is the show for all the people who are caught between caring for ageing parents, raising a family, and managing work—all while trying to live a good life. Li
