HealthQ wants to know: When did you join the ‘sandwich generation’?

If you’re simultaneously taking care of children and aging parents, we want to hear from you — because you’re in good company. 

Nearly one in four Americans adults are sandwiched between raising a child and having a parent above the age of 65. For adults in their 40s, more than half are in this category. Many are actively caregiving for parents and children, too, and often feeling burned out in the process. 

It’s easy to remember when the kids came along. But caring for a parent can sneak up on you. We want to know: When did you realize you were in the “sandwich generation”? And what do your caregiving duties look like right now?

HealthQ co-host Cara Anthony had a sandwich generation moment when she found herself balancing work, taking her mom to the doctor, and looking out for her daughter who was home sick from school. For others, it’s when they started packing pillboxes for Dad or fielding medical questions from Mom — or when their families had to adjust to their parents moving in.

Share your experience for an upcoming show for HealthQ, a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and KFF Health News designed to boost your healthcare know-how. Email [email protected] with your “sandwich generation” moment.