1 in 8 Americans 40-60 years old are part of the “Sandwich Generation”, and many aren’t even aware of the term. It describes those who are the main Caregiver for a child and an aging parent, and they’re literally sandwiched by their responsibility to care for both. A Pew Research Center study found that almost 50% of all adults in their 40s & 50s have at least 1 parent over 65 while also raising/financially supporting a child. And this number is just growing…rapidly! With Baby Boomers entering retirement age and living longer, the number of people over 65 is set to double in the next 25 years and it’s the Sandwich Generation that is poised to care for them.
Many times, it’s the Caregivers who are part of this Sandwich Generation that come to us for help. They’re overwhelmed and exhausted physically and emotionally. There’s guilt of being “not enough”. There’s the physical toll it takes on them. There’s the financial burden of being the main Caregiver for their children and aging parent(s) while usually working a full time job.
So we’re left asking: Who’s caring for the Caregivers? Who’s supporting the Sandwich Generation with the resources they need?
What we’ve realized on our journey of building SUNWAYS, is that the answer is “Us”. We are. We will be the shoulder to lean on, person to call and service that the Caregivers of the Sandwich Generation can depend on to get them the information, resources and support they need. We want to give a voice to this underserved group of people who are usually too busy or tired to even ask for help. It’s become crystal clear to us that this mission is our purpose.
Our passion is to not only serve the Sandwich Generation with services and resources they need, but to educate them. We meet so many people everyday that are part of this group that don’t even know a service like SUNWAYS exists. That’s a big reason why we are focusing on things like this blog, email lists and social media to try to get our message to the people who need it them most.
So if you find yourself part of the Sandwich Generation, know that we’re here for you and as a free service you can reach out to us anytime. And if you know someone who is part of this special group of Caregivers, share this blog post with them and give them a hug while you’re at it…we have a feeling they could use it!
