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Sandwich Generation and Long Term Care

By jana on Feb 21, 2008 in Long Term Care, Sandwich Generation

The Sandwich Generation - those of us caring for our aging parents while caring for our own children – are a growing group of individuals. Stuck in the middle and “sandwiched.” Sandwiching is only going to become and increasing problem since we have a rising number of elderly due to the baby boomers heading to retirement along with so many of us living so much longer but with chronic illnesses. So we have an expanding number of people who will be stretched thin between raising their own children and taking care of their parents with ailments such as arthritis, dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

A great video from US News and World Report discusses this very issue. It covers how being caught as the long term caregiver in a sandwich situation can cause “depression and loneliness” for the caregiver. It also has some interesting statistics:

* FMLA covers 12 weeks of UNPAID leave to take care of family members, but it only covers immediate family.

* Businesses lose $34 Billion in employees taking off to care for a sick relative.

* Some large businesses are putting into place help for eldercare, but this isn’t enough.

By the way, did you know that women are the highest number of the caregivers? According to a video by Mary Jane Mullatta, the average caregiver is a 46 year old, employed, married woman. She discusses this in her video that provides tips to Sandwich Generation caregivers. The visual quality isn’t that great, but if you listen, she has some good ideas to pass along.

Another video with Susan Cunningham, author of Unwrapping the Sandwich Generation, says that it “only takes 6 months of caregiving before the caregiver starts to have their own health issues”. With this in mind, all the videos talk about some ideas of what you can do to help yourself as the sandwich caregiver. Some include:

1. Create a network of friends who can help you – carpooling for kids, friend who can pick up your parents at the adult day care facilities, etc.

2. Ask for help from all members of the family – your children can help with their grandparents and it is great for children to learn from intergenerational interaction!

3. Check into your local government and non-profit organizations to see what they can offer to you, your aging relative or your children.

Finally, if you feel you’re alone: don’t! Listen to another story about sandwich generation caregiver, Susan Colley Monk

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