HealthQ special explores caregiving in the sandwich generation

When William Morrison of Nashville, Tennessee talks about the months ahead, he describes a familiar kind of strain. He and his wife are expecting their first baby boy at the end of August, and he is also thinking about the care responsibilities that already include his mother. For him, the overlap feels overwhelming.

That experience reflects life in what is often called the sandwich generation: adults who are caring for a child while also helping support a parent over 65. According to Pew Research, nearly a quarter of all American adults fall into this category, and the share rises to half of adults in their 40s. For many people, that position in the middle can feel intense.

Jason McAnally, a Nashville father of two who helps care for his aging father, says the pressure can upend the image people may have of themselves. He said he had prided himself on being self-sufficient, but in this stage of life that idea has become “laughable.”

HealthQ’s Cara Anthony of KFF Health News and Blake Farmer of Nashville Public Radio are both in the sandwich generation themselves. In this one-hour special, they serve as guides through a healthcare system that can feel difficult to navigate. They draw on conversations with researchers, physicians, and other experts, along with their own experiences, to look at the practical and emotional side of caregiving.

The special focuses on several topics tied to this stage of life. One is identity: when it makes sense to begin calling yourself a caregiver, and why that label matters. Another is FMLA, the federal leave law, and how to start a conversation with a boss about taking protected time away from work. The program also looks at children’s mental health, including how parents can tell when an anxious child may need therapy.

Another part of the discussion turns to early-onset cancer and what people should know about spotting diseases that are being seen more often among those under 50. The source does not provide additional details about specific conditions or symptoms.

Throughout the special, the HealthQ team says it wants to acknowledge both the messiness and the beauty of this season of life, along with the humor that can come with it. The installment is part of HealthQ’s reporting on caregiving among the sandwich generation.

HealthQ is a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and KFF Health News. KFF Health News describes itself as a national newsroom focused on in-depth reporting about health issues and as one of the core operating programs at KFF, an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.