Dr. Margaret Longacre, assistant professor of Public Health, was one of three academic advisers for the National Alliance for Caregiving’s report on Sandwich Generation Caregiving. This report, announced in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 26, studied the demographics of caregivers (the Sandwich Generation) who provide care to adults with chronic illness or disability and also have a child/children in the home. 

The release from the National Alliance for Caregiving noted that “compared to other types of caregivers, the Sandwich Generation caregivers are younger, more ethnically diverse, and newer to caregiving than non-Sandwich Generation caregivers. Many represent Generation X and Millennials, who are launching careers and families while caring for an older relative.”

Dr. Longacre reviewed the data from more than 300 Sandwich Generation caregivers, and compared to non-sandwich caregivers from a nationally representative dataset from the 2015 study, Caregiving in the U.S., provided perspectives relevant to her field of study–health systems.

Key findings in the report highlighted some of the struggles the Sandwich Generation caregivers go through, such as spending an average of 22 hours a week caring for someone, while often simultaneously juggling work; struggling with emotional, financial, and physical stress; helping with transportation, housework, and preparing meals for the individuals cared for; and feeling unprepared to do the medical/nursing tasks required.

See the Report