In This Issue

	The Sandwich Generation
	If you answer yes to any of these questions, Hurley Elder Care Law can help
	Life Care Planning Goals
	The 2007 Hurley Elder Care Law Handbook of Resources

The Sandwich Generation

	What do you do when you are suddenly faced with the dual responsibilities of older parents and kids? By now, most of us have heard the term Sandwich Generation. The chance of someone aged 35 to 60 becoming a member of the Sandwich Generation increases with each passing year. Spanning in age from the mid-30s to 60s, these people are “sandwiched” between caring for their aging parents and supporting their children at the same time. Taking on the job of caring for parents with ailing health while still tending to children can be incredibly stressful. Not only do members of this group face difficult financial burdens, but also the burnout that comes from too much emotional strain.
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If you answer yes to any of these questions, Hurley Elder Care Law can help.

		Has the elder been diagnosed with a mentally or physically debilitating disorder such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, stroke or a decline in functional capacity?
		Is the elder isolated due to the recent death of a spouse, or have family that either lives too far away or is too busy to provide adequate care?
		Is the elder soon to be discharged into a care facility or currently receiving in-home care?
		Does the elder have a variety of healthcare providers and need coordination and advocacy for quality care?
		Does the elder seem unusually concerned about costs of medication and services, indicating he or she may be having financial troubles?
		Does the elder have assets that fall between $50,000 and $400,000 – enough to finance a short stay in a care facility but not enough for an extended stay?
		Does the elder have a spouse whose financial needs must be considered in light of the elder’s medical condition?

Life Care Planning Goals

1. Meeting the elders’ immediate health care and long-term care needs.
2. Making sure the elder/family is making good health care and long-term care decisions.
3. Helping the elder/family sort through the maze of their long-term care options including residential options.
4. Identifying and accessing public benefits and resources to pay for care should the elder meet the qualifying criteria.
5. Help with asset management, including the burden of home ownership and personal property.
6. Providing the entire family the peace of mind that comes from knowing their loved one is monitored by a team that combines legal and financial expertise with specialized knowledge of the elders’ physical, mental and emotional health.
7. Ensuring the highest level of independence the elder can achieve, while ensuring safety.

The Sandwich Generation

From the financial perspective, there are many costs to consider. First there are the actual costs that the older generation faces as they lose functional capacity. Should parents need sitter type services, they range from $15 to $20 per hour. If they have progressed further, the costs for assisted living facilities begin at about $24,000 per year, while nursing homes average $72,000 per year. Those are costs that the parents would face if not for the generosity of their children who have taken them in. It is also important to remember that the over 85 population is the fastest growing demographic, mostly due to better medicines and health care. If the older generation has not saved enough to cover the costs of their own long term care, then they may look to family for help. That can be particularly difficult for members of the sandwich generation who are facing the skyrocketing costs of their children’s education. Besides the additional cash outlays that face the sandwich generation, they also must face lost opportunity costs for their own lives. Often, people who have been ideal employees become not so good after beginning to take care of their aging parents. They often start missing hours or days of work to deal with the health situations facing their parents. Often times the caregivers end up leaving full time employment, meaning that there is less income and additional costs associated with the loss of benefit packages. For our economy as a whole, this represents the loss of billions and billions of dollars each year. Beyond the financial devastation that can beset the sandwich generation, there is the immense psychological and emotional toll. The toll can be especially steep when multiple sandwich generation children are involved and those children cannot agree on the plan for the parents, including who will pay for the care. Frequently when there are multiple children, one child may be happy to take on the role of caregiver, however, the caregiver may feel as if he or she is on an island with no support from siblings. From practical experience, most often the caregiver child is most concerned with the well being of the parent, while the other siblings may be most concerned with what will be left for them. It can be sad to see such family discord during times of need. What should the sandwich generation caregiver do to lessen the effects of the caregiver role? Here are some of the basic rules to follow: Seek help from social services and elder law attorneys. There is vast information available through the Area Agency on Aging, regarding services for seniors. Additionally, seeking advice from an elder law attorney can be invaluable. Elder law attorneys can provide many types of information ranging from qualification rules affecting Medicaid, Medicare and VA benefits to putting the proper legal documentation into place to who are good providers of adult day care, assisted living and even nursing homes. Develop a plan for how your parents will pay for long-term care. There are relatively few methods of paying for long-term care: self, family, long-term care insurance, medicare (very limited), VA benefits and Medicaid. Keep in mind that when the planning is done sooner rather than later, there may more options available. It is also important to make sure that your parents’ finances are organized. If a parent loses competency, it may be quite difficult to track down all of their assets. This is especially if they still own stock in certificate form. Make sure that your own financial house is in order. Do not take from your own retirement savings. It is almost impossible to replace funds that are depleted. Continue to save for your children’s education. Be especially aware of budgeting, as your expenses will likely be rising. Ask your parents for financial contribution for their share of expenses. From the emotional perspective, it is incredibly important to have a support network. If you do not have this within your family, there are many support groups available in the community that can help. Do your best to stay in good physical condition. Physical exercise is a great stress reliever. Try to remove yourself from your caregiver role frequently. There are many studies that show that the effects of caregiving are more detrimental to the caregiver than the effects of disease are on the care receiver. The main thing to remember is that taking on the caregiver role as a member of the sandwich generation should not be taken lightly. Consider the items presented in this article, they are some of the issues that you will face, but there are many more. Always take care of yourself, since if something happens to you, who will be there to look after your children and your parents?