Discuss the changes that the sandwich generation is most likely to face.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. The sandwich generation experiences considerable stress because older people usually need assistance at a time when their adult children's and grandchildren's lives are complicated and demanding. In an aging society, the sandwich generation and older people experience many changes, including:1. The rise of multigenerational households-The effects of multigenerational households are mixed. Grandparents who live with their adult children and grandchildren may provide crucial economic and childcare support. On the other hand, if the multigenerational household is struggling financially, if the grandparents are also raising their own children, and if there's mother-grandmother conflict, grandparents experience emotional problems, including unhappiness, stress, worry, and anger.2. Work and retirement options-Many older Americans are postponing retirement. Most work out of necessity. For older women, particularly, working is often a necessity, rather than a choice. A consequence of longer life expectancy is the need to finance more years of retirement, but almost a third of people with retirement savings of $10,000 or more give financial assistance to an adult child, a parent, or both. Since the early 1990s, many large companies have greatly reduced or eliminated employee pension plans, but only about half of private-sector workers participate in a retirement savings program.3. The right to die-Living longer and with more years of chronic diseases and disabilities raises questions about later-life choices. Both historically and currently, one of the most controversial issues is regarding end-of-life decisions. Physician-assisted suicide is gaining acceptance.4. Competition for scarce resources-Younger generations cannot count on federally financed health care and retirement benefits in the future. Medicare funds are supposed to last until 2026, and Social Security through 2033 (The Board of Trustees . . . , 2013), but there are no guarantees. As baby boomers age, the costs of these programs will mushroom.