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The sandwich generation is a generation of people who care for their aging parents while supporting their own children. According to the Pew Research Center, just over 1 of every 8 Americans aged 40 to 60 is both raising a child and caring for a parent, in addition to between 7 to 10 million adults caring for their aging parents from a long distance. US Census Bureau statistics indicate that the number of older Americans aged 65 or older will double by the year 2030, to over 70 million. Carol Abaya categorized the different scenarios involved in being a part of the sandwich generation. *Traditional: those sandwiched between aging parents who need care and/or help and their own children. *Club Sandwich: those in their 50s or 60s sandwiched between aging parents, adult children and grandchildren, or those in their 30s and 40s, with young children, aging parents and grandparents. *Open Faced: anyone else involved in elder care.〔Abaya, Carol. The Sandwich Generation. (The Sandwich Generation ).〕 Merriam-Webster officially added the term to its dictionary in July, 2006. The term "sandwich generation" was coined by Dorothy A Miller in 1981.〔Miller, D. (1981). "The 'Sandwich' Generation: Adult Children of the Aging." Social Work 26:419–423.〕 She was originally referring to younger women in their thirties and forties who were taking care of their children, but also having to meet the needs of their parents, employers, friends and so on. Now that people are living longer and children are growing up and needing continued care, the “sandwiching” is felt by both men and women who are in their fifties. The demographic could continue to change, but the idea remains the same.〔Diller, 2012〕 Due to poor economy, research shows that modern American society has had substantial increase of young post-college kids who return home to live with their parents or continue living with their parents throughout college. In a study done by the PEW Research Center 〔Parker, 2012〕 in 2012, published in an article called “The Boomerang Generation,” about 29 percent of young adults ranging from the ages of 25-34 live with their parents. It is also becoming more acceptable; therefore, people who are in this situation are generally satisfied with their situation, which is likely to make it more common and less temporary. Now the parents of these young adults are being held responsible to care for their children longer than they expected, as well as now also being expected to assume the role of caretaker for their elderly parents. These sandwiched people become responsible for helping their loved ones with daily functioning, medical services and supervision, giving medications, and aiding in financial, legal, and emotional difficulties of their loved ones as well as themselves.〔Bogolea, K. (1995). The Sandwich Generation. Retrieved from http://www.caregiver.com/channels/rural/articles/sandwich_generation.htm 〕 == Financial Problems and Statistics == On average, adults in the sandwich generation are spending approximately $10,000 and 1,350 hours on their parents and children combined per year. Typically, children require more money and “capital-intensive” care, while aging adults require more time and labor-intensive care.〔Pierret, C. R. (2006, September). The ‘sandwich generation: women caring for parents and children. Monthly Labor Review. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/09/art1full.pdf〕 Becoming part of the sandwich generation can put a huge financial burden on families. On average, 48 percent of adults are providing some sort of financial support to their grown children, while 27 percent are their primary support. Additionally, 25 percent are financially supporting their parents as well.〔Parker, K., & Patten, E. (2013). The sandwich generation rising financial burdens for middle-aged Americans. Pew Research. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation/〕 With that being said, some of the adults living in this sandwiched generation face financial problems regularly. They are supporting three generations at one time: their parents, their immediate family (self and spouse) and children. Table 1 displays a general financial status for adults that are living in the sandwich generation.〔Parker, K., & Patten, E. (2013). The sandwich generation rising financial burdens for middle-aged Americans. Pew Research. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation/〕 As you can see, many of the adults are still able to meet their basic needs while having extra money on the side; but some adults are only able to finance their basic needs; nothing more. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sandwich generation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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