The Sandwich Generation at 21: Club Sandwich

I am a part of the “sandwich generation.” The  “sandwich generation” is a group of people who care for aging parents while supporting their children.

The Pew Research Center states that one of each eight Americans who are between the age of  40 to 60 is raising a child and also caring for a parent

Some more stats (via the US Census Bureau)

• 7-10 million adults care for their relatives from a long distance.
• Americans who are 65 years old or older will double by the year 2030, to over 70 million.
• There are diverse variations, and they are listed below, but I wanted first to say that I am part of the club sandwich. I am 30 years old, taking care of two small children and my 93-year-old grandmother.

Kinds of sandwiches:

• Traditional sandwich generation refers to those sandwiched between aging parents who need care as well as helping their children.
• Club Sandwich refers to those in their 50’s or 60’s sandwiched between aging parents, adult children, and grandchildren. On the opposite end; it is where I fall in the mix, and it can also refer to those in their 30s and 40s, who have young children, aging parents, as well as grandparents.
• Open faced sandwich refers to anyone who is involved in the elder care.
• Sandwich generation was originally coined by Dorothy Miller and Elaine Brody in the year 1981 when they began their research.

It is some pretty thought-provoking stuff to look into if you are interested.

Sources:

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation

http://www.sandwichgeneration.com