By Anisha Sarma
Think of the super popular sandwich chain, subway. You have the wholesome, yummy patty of your choice sandwiched between two chunky loaves of bread. Now, if you are a parent to a young child and a child of your aging parents, you’re the middle layer of a metaphorical sandwich! This group of people having to provide support to two very drastically different groups of people, with drastically different needs is what Dorothy Miller called the Sandwich generation. Apart from caring for their kids and parents, they also have to manage taking care of themselves, work, finances, and a plethora of other tiny but significant duties. I remember since I was a 5th grader, my dad would come home very late because every day after finishing work he would visit his parents – my grandparents. I remember being angry at him for not being there to help me with my math homework but little did I know the enormous bulk of responsibility that he had to carry as a member of this sandwich generation.
While handling the dual responsibility of caring for parents and children is not new, advances in geriatric care are guaranteeing that people are living longer. As a result, adult offspring are often burdened for decades longer than their parents or grandparents were. Add to this, the popularity of smaller families with fewer or no siblings, the responsibility of caring for aging parents, therefore, becomes concentrated on one individual. And especially, in a country such as India, with a heavy reliance on cultural and traditional conformity, the scope of seeking external help is limited, sometimes even taboo. It is therefore not surprising that middle-aged adults often experience caregiver burnout, feelings of guilt, stress, and low mood. Studies have found that caregivers of this generation are at risk for a range of mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, dysfunctional coping strategies as a result of increased stress and demands (Steiner & Fletcher, 2017).
Being a sandwich generation caregiver is undoubtedly a difficult and demanding job. Policy changes and appropriate clinical support must be made accessible to facilitate the highly needful and valuable caregiving responsibilities of the sandwich generation. As families grow into multigenerational units, long-term care planning may become necessary. This will give them the chance to assess the resources and supports that they anticipate will be needed before you actually need them. One method that might lighten their load is to seek professional assistance from geriatric care centers and services. Delegating some eldercare chores to a home care aide can benefit each family member individually and the family unit as a whole, while also allowing the caregiver to balance their roles and obligations.