‘Sandwich generation’ worried about future
Posted Oct 5, 2011 1:12 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Canadians may be living healthier and wealthier lives but members of the ‘sandwich generation’ are increasingly starting to worry about their future.
Experts define these people as parents who also provide support or care to their own parents.
The survey was done by Desjardins Financial and shows 92% of respondents listed their health as excellent, very good or good.
Seventy per cent said their personal financial security was excellent or very good.
However, results also showed that 67% of those affected believe the greater role in assistance impacts their mental health, 62% believe it affects the well-being of their family, 60% believe their physical health is impacted and 58% think it is affecting their professional life.
With more Canadians beginning to rely on government-funded home care as a resource to help them assist their parents for daily activities, one expert calls it ‘alarming.’
Bart Mindszenthy, co-author of Parenting your Parents, says the health care system can’t effectively cope with the number of people requiring care as the population ages.
He says his best advice to Canadians is to make out a plan before they get to the stage where they’re unsure of what happens next.
“There are some three million people who are looking after parents, most of whom still have children at home,” he says. “And there’s a tremendous pressure.”
Mindszenthy says the biggest obstacle facing many is the issue of denial because he says no one wants to have that conversation with their parents about getting older.
The survey found that only 18.9% of respondents work with their parents to develop a plan for ongoing care ahead of time.
