Forget the "Me" Generation, the "Sandwich" Generation is Doing it All

From Boomer Chronicles we learn a new term concerning a concept that we've written about quite a bit. Namely, get those who get "sandwiched" between two generations. They are responsible for their own children while at the same time dealing with issues of elder care. According to a link provided by Boomer Chronicles, this group is appropriately called the "Sandwich Generation."

US News estimates that 19 million Americans are unpaid "informal caregivers" for their families and relatives, providing a staggering 75 to 80 percent of all longterm care in the United States. About 13 percent of the 36 million Americans age 65 and older live with their adult children or other family members. In recognition, some states are experimenting with paying family members to provide care to Medicaid recipients who would otherwise be in nursing homes. The Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have designated $1.75 billion in grants to encourage informal caregiving, although most of these programs are early stage and limited to only very low-income seniors.

There are a lot of ways to interpret the above data but one way is that the "system" is working. This is what families are for and it's called love and doing the right thing.