The

Sandwich Generation(s)
Amy Goyer
AARPs Family & Caregiving Expert

Sandwich Generation Old View

Women
30 40 yrs. old
Sandwiched between
parents and raising
children

Sandwiched Between Care of Parents and

Children
Work
Spouse, partner,
significant relationship
Care of siblings
Care of grandparents
Care of other relatives

Club-Sandwich Generation

Grandparents
Parents
Children
Grandchildren
Siblings
Spouse
Friends
Worklifepetshome
hobbiesvolunteering

Sandwiched
71% are ages 40-59
19% younger than 40
10% older than 60

47% of adults in their 40s and 50s have a parent over age 65 and either are
raising a child at home or have a financially dependent adult child
15% are providing financial support to aging parent and children
More provide financial support to adult children
Recession
Housing crisis

40% say aging parents and children rely on them for emotional support
(Source: Pew Research Ctr., 1/2013)

Boomerang Kids

In 2010 lowest employment rates for

young adults since govt. started collecting
data in 1948
Moved back in after college, job loss,
housing loss, divorce etc.
May have brought grandkids

Common Denominators:

Life
Family
Work

Caregiving

The Changing Nature of

Family Caregiving
Every generation, age, gender, race/ethnicity and
socioeconomic status.
Either you have been, are or expect to be a caregiver or
care recipient, or you are supporting someone who is.
Caregiving today affects everyone.

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30

What do caregivers do?

Caregiving in the U.S.

2015 Report
Conducted by:

Caregiver Demographics
Average age: 49
7% age 75+
24% Millennials (age 1834)
60% women
40% men

62% White
17% Hispanic/Latino
13% African American/
Black
6%
Asian
American/
Pacific Islander

Family Caregivers
65% are married or living with a partner
28% percent have a child or grandchild under the
age of 18 living in their household.
One in 10 caregivers has served in the armed forces,
as have a similar proportion of their care recipients
9% self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or
transgender (LGBT)

Relationship
85% care
for relatives
49% care
for a
parent/inlaws

Care Recipients

59% long-term physical condition

26% memory problem
37% have more than one ongoing problem or illness
Caregiver perception of main reason for care:

14% - Old age

8% - Alzheimer's or dementia (22% say loved one has
Alz./dementia)

8% - Surgery/wounds

Providing Care

24 hrs. per week

23% 41+ hrs.
Caring for spouse/partner: 45 hrs.

Ave. 4 yrs.
25% 5+ yrs.
Higher hour caregivers twice as likely 10+ yrs.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

(IADLs)

42

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

57% - Medical/Nursing Tasks

Caregivers in the most complex care

situations are the ones most likely to be
performing medical/nursing tasks without
any preparation -- 62% of high-burden
caregivers are performing medical/nursing
tasks without prior preparation.

Skilled activities
include:
Injections,
Tube feedings,
Catheter and
colostomy care
Managing
multiple
medications
Wound care

Most Caregivers Have No Paid Help

Tasks of Caregiving

Typical Family Caregiver

49 year-old, female, married or
living with partner, median HH
income $54,700
Primary caregiver for 69 year-old
mother with long-term physical
condition
Usually medial/nursing tasks
Likely live together or close by

Higher-Hour Caregivers

32% of caregivers
At least 21 hours per week
Average 62 hours per week
High burden of care (4 out of 5 in
a 5-level index)
Typically sole, unpaid care
provider;
More likely to be caring for a
spouse or partner

Millennials

24% of caregivers are age 18-34

Equally likely to male/female
Most likely care recipient has mental health/emotional problem
Typical care recipient 59.6 yr old female relative
Providing care for 2.8 years on average
21 hrs/week
Half have other unpaid help from other family and friends
Working
Half married/living w/partner

Caregivers Age 75+

Caring for close relative
(spouse, adult child, or sibling)
Sole provider of care; usually
live together
Provided care 5 years
average
About 34 hours per week
Caring for grandchildren too?

Working Caregivers
60% of caregivers were employed at some point in the past year
while also caregiving
56% work full time
35 hrs/week on average
Among working caregivers:
53% say their employer offers flexible work
52% paid sick days
23% employee assistance programs
22% telecommuting
Nearly all workplace benefits are more commonly reported by caregivers
working full-time.

Juggling Work and Caregiving

Higher-hour caregivers who are employed are more likely to

report experiencing nearly all of these work impacts.

Impacts on Work

Primary caregivers more likely impact work

70% of caregivers who perform
medical/nursing tasks report impact work
Working 30+ hrs a week; more likely to report
workday interruptions

Leaving Work
Caregivers modify work to fit caregiving
39% of caregivers who left their job did so to have
more time to provide care
34% of caregivers who left their job did so due to
lack of flexible work hours
Caregivers who leave work lose ave. $300,000+ in
lifetime wages and benefits

Changing Roles

Many Caregivers are Highly Stressed

Experiencing emotional stress is more common among higher-hour

caregivers.

Health Impacts

17% percent say health fair or poor.

By comparison, 10% of the general adult
population describe their health as fair or poor.
The longer a caregiver has been providing care,
the more likely she or he is to report fair or poor
health.
22% say health has gotten worse

Finances
About one in five caregivers reports experiencing financial strain
(18%)
More common with higher-hour caregivers
Greater among higher than lower hour co-resident caregivers
Long-Distance Caregivers who live more than an hour away from
their care recipient - higher levels of financial strain (21%), perhaps
because 41 percent of long-distance caregivers report the use of
paid help
The longer a caregiver has been providing care, the more likely they
are to feel the financial strain

Supporting Sandwiched Caregivers

Information Needs

Recommendations

Identify and help caregivers who are most at risk for deteriorating
health, financial security, and quality of life.
Identify and advocate for programs that could make a real difference
in caregivers well-being and in their ability to continue providing care,
including helping them balance paid employment and unpaid care.
Give caregivers resources to cope with the sometimes unexpected
and sudden entry into providing care.
Extend training to caregivers who perform ADLs, medical/nursing
tasks, and other activities, including communicating and interacting
with the formal care system.
Encourage families to proactively plan for and discuss aging and
health/disability, including plans for future care and scenarios where
the current unpaid caregiver may no longer be able to provide care.

www.aarp.org/caregiving

Spanish aarp.org/cuidar

Take Care Blog

Multiple Generations Sandwiched

Traditionally woman in 30s and 40s

Boomers
Moved into Gen X
Now moving into Gen Y

Sandwiched between more than kids and parents

Working longer
Male caregivers
Caregiving for other relatives
Boomerang kids
Multigenerational living

Growing

Baby Boomers aging

Emerging adulthood
Boomerang kids
Recession/recovery

AARP CAREGIVING RESOURCE CENTER

WWW.AARP.ORG/CAREGIVING
AMY GOYER
AUTHOR, AARPS JUGGLING WORK & CAREGIVING
AARP.ORG/CAREGIVINGBOOK
IN PRINT JUNE 2015!
AARP.ORG/AMYGOYER
AARP.ORG/TAKINGCARE
TWITTER: @AMYGOYER
FACEBOOK: AMY.GOYER & AMYGOYER1
EMAIL: AMY@AMYGOYER.COM
AARP MEDIA RELATIONS, GREG PHILLIPS GPHILLIPS@AARP.ORG