Get to the meat of surviving the Sandwich Generation
By Gail M. Samaha / Health Care | Monday, February 1, 2010 |
It has all the appearance of a scene straight out of a movie starring Meryl Streep – by day a professional businesswoman, ministering to the needs and demands of clients and colleagues, and by night, a specialist of another sort, attending to the wants and desires not only of her own children, but also those of her aging parents.
She is the very definition of the Sandwich Generation – for better or worse, “stuck” between that pressing balance of work, home and caring for an elderly mother and/or father.
And she is far from alone. According to a recent AARP report, 44 percent of all 45 to 55 year olds have at least one living parent and one child under the age of 21, and 20 million Americans are currently caring for elderly parents while raising their own families.
If that’s not eye opening enough, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that by the year 2030, the number of Americans 65 or older will double to 71 million, translating to 20 percent of the population.
It has been projected that Boomers will spend more time taking care of their parents than they did raising their children.
While there is some small comfort in knowing that the pressures you feel are shared by many others, the bottom line to this very personal matter is simple – finding the time and services that can help make your life and the lives of your aging parents a little easier.
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