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On January 1, 2011, 10,000 baby boomers a day began turning 65 in the United States; this will continue for the next 19 years. They are the nearly 10 million boomers that are now raising kids, teenagers or young adults while providing support for an aging parent. Usually they are between the ages of 40 and 64. A number of factors have contributed to growing prevalence of these middle aged adults in the workforce. With the increase in life expectancy, there are more older adults overall and a corresponding increase in the care needs of the aged due to declines in health.
By the early 1990s, three quarters of adults ages 50 to 54 in the United States had a family with at least three generations. The term sandwich generation describes the group of people who simultaneously care for their aging parents and their children. To many researchers this term specifically refers to the generation between the ages of 45 and 65. The size of the sandwich generation depends on how one defines it; it varies based on the research. An AARP report found that 44 percent of 45 to 55 year old adults had both at least one living parent and one child under age 21. Only 7 percent of 45 to 55 year old middle adults however lived in a household containing three generations usually oneself, one's parents or in-laws, and one's Children. Support of course, can mean something other than co-residence. Parents may provide financial to their nonresident children for college expenses, the purchase of a home, or just gifts. Adult children likewise help their elderly parents with personal care or errands, or with financial assistance even if they do not live together. Elder care and childcare within the sandwich generation are in direct competition with caregivers relationships; such as work, family, and spousal relationships. |