Sandwich generation worried about own long-term
care
Caught
between kids and aging parents, the sandwich generation worries more than most
Americans their age about how they'll afford their own care as they grow older,
a new poll shows. But most aren't doing much to get ready.
Nearly
1 in 10 people age 40 and over are "sandwiched" -- they're supporting
a child while providing regular care for an older loved one, according to a
poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Another 8 percent may join the ranks of double-caregivers in the next five
years, citing declining health of an older relative or close friend.
Dueling
responsibilities can make some days feel like a tug-of-war.
"If
my mom needs something badly, I get pulled away from my kids a lot," said
Kamila Al-Najjar of Santa Rosa, California, a lawyer with two children and
self-described health advocate for her mother. She visits her mother's assisted
living facility at least twice a week and checks in daily by phone, to oversee
a list of illnesses.
"You're
dealing with someone who is aging, toward the end of their life; then you have
to deal with a teenager. I hear from my mom and daughter that I'm a nag.
There's no winning in it," she said.
Adding
to the challenge, 40- and 50-somethings tend to be at the height of their
careers -- and need to hang onto their jobs despite difficulties of care-giving,
said Susan Reinhard, who directs AARP's Public Policy Institute. Employer
flexibility is a top issue as the population ages, she said.
"It's
not just their own financial security, it's the financial security for their
children and for the future," Reinhard said.
After
age 65, government figures show nearly 7 in 10 Americans at some point will
need long-term care -- from a relative, home aide, assisted living or nursing
home.
Yet
the AP-NORC Center poll found overall, most Americans 40 and older -- 54
percent -- have done little or no planning to get ready for this often pricey
reality. Only a third reports setting aside money for those needs. That's even
though Medicare doesn't pay for the most common types of long-term care, and a
nursing home can cost more than $90,000 a year.
Drill
down to the 9 percent of this age group who make up the sandwich generation,
and their experience leaves them far more concerned about their own senior
years.
About
half worry about being able to pay for their future care needs or having to
move into a nursing home, compared with just over a third of other adults, the
poll found. Also, 44 percent of sandwichers fear leaving debts to family,
compared with 28 percent of others polled.
But
the poll found the sandwich generation no more likely than other middle-aged
adults to be planning and saving, possibly because of time or resources.
Al-Najjar
is glad her mother "saved all her life … so she didn't have to stress out
about stuff like that." Caring for her has changed how she spends and
plans for the future.
"It's
like a wake-up call," she said. There are "a lot of seniors in the
United States that don't have that money."
The
squeeze isn't ending as children grow up. Among currently sandwiched parents,
29 percent have adult children living at home, the poll found; others are
providing adult children with financial assistance, meaning some are sandwiched
even after their children leave the nest.
Another
challenge: Finding services to help seniors live out their days at home. AARP
recently opened an online "livability index" to rank communities on
such factors as accessible housing and transit options.
And
the National Association for Area Agencies on Aging runs an Eldercare Locator
-- at www.eldercare.gov and 1-800-677-1116 -- to help people find local
resources. Last year, the locator averaged more than 22,000 requests for
assistance a month.
A
recent report found the top needs: transportation, mostly to get to doctor
appointments; in-home services, such as meals and personal care; and finding
affordable housing or making age-friendly home modifications.
"People
don't generally make these calls until they're in crisis," said
association CEO Sandy Markwood. "If mom and dad need this as they get
older, you should prepare for that, too."
Carroll
Burnett of Whitesboro, Texas, cared for his 88-year-old father, who'd suffered
a stroke, for a year before he died in March.
"I
felt good that I could take care of him," said Burnett, a retired tool and
die maker who had help from his wife and one of his three grown children. But
he's saving up: "I don't want any of my kids to go through what I
did."
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