HealthQ Special: Caregiving in the Sandwich Generation

“We’re expecting our first baby boy in end of August. And when I think about what it’s going to feel like to take care of my wife and my new son and my mom, it’s a bit overwhelming.”

— William Morrison, from Nashville, Tennessee

If you are taking care of a child and you have a parent over 65, you’re among millions across the U.S. in the same life stage.

Nearly a quarter of all American adults — and half of all adults in their 40s — fall into this “sandwich generation” category, according to Pew research. And being in the middle of that sandwich can feel … intense.

“I have kind of prided myself on being self-sufficient. And in this season of life, that’s almost been laughable,” said Jason McAnally, a Nashville father of two who helps care for his aging dad.

HealthQ hosts Cara Anthony of KFF Health News and Blake Farmer of Nashville Public Radio, both in the sandwich generation themselves, are your approachable guides to an unapproachable healthcare system. In this one-hour special about navigating health and caregiving, they tap researchers, physicians, experts, and their own personal experience to explore:

• Identity: When to start calling yourself a caregiver, and why it matters.
• FMLA: How to start a conversation with your boss about taking federally protected leave from work.
• Kids and mental health: How to know it’s time to take an anxious child to therapy.
• Early-onset cancer: What you need to know about spotting diseases that are on the rise among people under 50.

The HealthQ team acknowledges the messiness, the humor, and the beauty of this season of life. Come on the journey with us. You can also watch the full video of this episode.

Guests:

• Denise Brown, caregiving coach and founder of Caregiving Years Training Academy in Illinois
• Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families in Washington, D.C.
• Paris Goodyear-Brown, licensed clinical social worker in Franklin, Tennessee
• Dr. Veda Giri, director of the Early Onset Cancer Program at Yale Cancer Center

This installment is part of HealthQ’s reporting on caregiving among the sandwich generation. For more, check out the series wpln.org/healthq.

HealthQ is a health series from reporters Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, approachable guides to an unapproachable healthcare system. It’s a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and KFF Health News.