Sandwich Generation is a generation of people (usually 30 or 40 years old) who care for their aging parents while supporting their own children.
According to the Pew Research Center, only one out of every eight Americans aged 40 to 60 raises children and cares for parents, in addition to between seven and ten million adults who care for their elderly parents from a distance. The US Census Bureau statistics show that the number of older Americans aged 65 and older will double by 2030, to over 70 million. In Australia, the term 'sandwich guard' is relevant to 2.6 million unpaid nannies. The Carers UK report in 2012 says that some 2.4 million people combine parenting with caring for older or disabled families.
Carol Abaya, nationally recognized as an expert in sandwich manufacturing, aging and parenting/parental care issues in the US, categorizes the various scenarios involved in sandwich making.
- Traditional: being squeezed between an aging parent who needs care and/or assistance and their own children.
- Club Sandwich: those in their 40s, 50s or 60s are sandwiched between elderly parents, adult children and grandchildren, or those in their 20s, 30s and 40s, with small children, aging parents, and grandparents.
- Open Faced: anyone involved in elderly care.
Merriam-Webster officially added the term to his dictionary in July 2006.
The term "Sandwich Generation" was introduced to the social work and gerontology community, respectively, by Dorothy Miller and Elaine Brody in 1981. Its construction refers to younger women in women at age thirties and forties who take care of their children, but also must meet the needs of parents, employers, friends, and others. Now people live longer and children grow up and need ongoing care, "floats" are felt by men and women in their fifties and sixties. Demographics can keep changing, but the idea remains the same, with recent research focusing on the concept of a senior sandwich generation .
Due to the bad economy, research shows that modern American society has experienced a large increase of post-college young children who return home to live with their parents or continue living with their parents throughout college. In a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2012, published in an article entitled "The Boomerang Generation," about 29% of young adults ranging in age from 25-34 live with their parents. It also became more acceptable; therefore, the people in this situation are generally satisfied with the situation, which tends to make it more general and less transient. Now the parents of these young adults are responsible for caring for their children longer than they expect, and are now also expected to take on the role of nanny for their elderly parents. These pinched people become responsible for helping their loved ones with daily functions, medical services and supervision, providing medication, and assisting in the financial, legal and emotional difficulties of their loved ones as well as themselves.
Video Sandwich generation
Korean
In 1950, the Korean War produced many wounds of war, and in widespread poverty. Therefore, unfortunately, there is no way for survivors to prepare for old age. They must work for economic reform, not for private finance. As a result, Korea has the largest number of Sandwich Generation members compared to other Asian countries. That's why Korea still has a big family system. Particularly in rural areas, large and large families live together. As with any Sandwich Generation in other countries, the main concern in Korea is the additional cost of caring for older parents.
Maps Sandwich generation
Financial and statistical issues
On average, adults in Generation Sandwich spend about $ 10,000 and 1,350 hours on their parents and children combined per year. Typically, children need more money and "capital-intensive" care, while aging adults need more time and labor intensive care.
Being part of the Sandwich Generation can put a huge financial burden on the family. On average, 48% of adults provide some kind of financial support to their adult children, while 27% are their primary support. In addition, 25% financially support their parents as well.
Some adults who live in this pinched generation face financial problems on a regular basis, should support three generations at once: their parents, their immediate family (self and spouse) and children.
Other challenges
Being part of the Sandwich Generation can affect your financial status, personal time, health, and career development. Although this may affect men and women, women are usually seen by the public as the main supporters. In other words, women are the ones most affected; men support financially while women support emotionally and physically (they bathe, dress, toilet, house cleaning, etc. while men give money).
Caring for an elderly parent while caring for your own child is a very time consuming task. It can really affect your personal time; You can no longer do the things you love, relax, sleep, etc. When all these tasks begin to spend your life, you become at risk for mental health problems. Depression and anxiety are major risk factors for Sandwich Generation, especially for women involved. Conversely, men, and some women, are usually at risk of losing career development. They may be at the peak of their careers and should take steps down and lose their chance to be able to help care for their aging parents or growing children.
Because of this struggle, caregivers can develop strong feelings of stress, fatigue, and depression. Aspects of side location, most caregivers experience some common difficulties. Some of these difficulties include how to manage their time efficiently between children, parents, family, work, and personal well-being. Another challenge may be how to find time to ensure a healthy marriage and a healthy self for the caregiver itself. Caregivers also deal with feelings of isolation and guilt that come with overworked roles, often making caregivers feel as though they are still not doing enough to help. These caregivers often feel like "pulled in two directions" that cause symptoms of depression, marital difficulties, and other emotional and psychological problems. Many caregivers are dealing with older parents who have Alzheimer's and dementia, which make daily functions and memories very difficult for them. Caregivers also struggle to help protect the assets of the people they are guarding who are no longer competent enough to do it themselves.
See also
- Caregiver
- Professional direct support
References
Further reading
- Nason. "Caring for children, old people, sandwich generation". https://www.cnbc.com/id/101743541# .
- O'Brien, S. "How to Avoid Sandwich Maker Problems". http://seniorliving.about.com/od/babyboomers/a/sandwich-generation.htm . Ã,
- Dolgen, E. "Sandwich Generation: caring for children and the elderly". http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-sarver-dolgen/the-sandwich-generation_b_3636774.html .
- Ngo, S. "Money Advice for sandwich generation". http://www.blackenterprise.com/money/retirement-tips-sandwich-generation-2/. Ã,
- Debby. "Sandwiched and cash-strapped". https://consumenation.wordpress.com/tag/sandwich-generation/.
External links
- Dealing with the Perfect Storm
- Become a Nanny - How to
- A Survival Course for Sandwich Generation (New York Times article on Carol Abaya)
- Sandwichî Generation
Source of the article : Wikipedia