US Sandwich Caregivers in Crisis: Mapping Terrains of Social Services Caregivers Navigate to Access Eldercare Services

• In Event: 30860 - Section on Aging and the Life Course Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 2. Aging, Caregiving, and Family Dynamics

Abstract

Sandwich Caregivers (SC) are in crisis. During the worse weeks of the COVID Pandemic, the CDC reported on SC confronting catastrophic mental health experiences, including anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation (at 8.2x odds ratio vs non-SC counterparts). In the US, approximately 11 million people are in the predicament of caring for both an older adult and a child/grandchild6. Almost one-quarter (23%) of the adults in the US are “Sandwich Generation”. One-quarter of SC generation are Hispanic/Latino. Over 54% of adults in their 40s are confronting this life course transition. Sandwich Caregivers desperately need support in managing activities of daily living (ADL), medical care, and finances of aging parents. Sadly, many are forced to navigate this maze without a roadmap of effective strategies, social services, or adaptive technologies. As SC acclimate to stressful conditions and confront painful economic decisions in this life course juncture, they are overworked and overwhelmed with the triple burden of childrearing, unpaid eldercare, and holding down a job to keep the family afloat. Critically, the social services, medical clinicians, insurance, and non-profits, SC rely upon for eldercare recognize the enormity of this crisis. Sounding the alarm, the Democratic Caucus convened a special taskforce to assess pressing issues and offer insights towards investing $400 Billion for viable solutions to redefine long-term caregiving. However, studies to date mainly focus on a small subset of carers tackling eldercare for the debilitating illnesses, i.e. cancer, dementia. heart failure, and late-life palliative care. Researching solutions for the millions in SC Crisis require an interdisciplinary structural approach to studying the eldercare ecosystem.

Author

• Lai Sze Tso, Gustavus Adolphus College