Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 2) | Seite 40

Working with Various Client Groups

Dear Social Service Professionals,
The Sandwiched Generation
Think demographics and we think age groups, profile of households, single
or married or the number of children. Policymakers use demographics to
predict trends and plausible scenarios – and more importantly, the policies
which will service the needs of the people.
The term “sandwiched generation’’ is now widely used and is generally
understood to be the layer of people who are caring for both children and
parents at the same time. The question being asked is why policymakers,
while recognising the needs of this generation, seem ambivalent about
the form of support that they may need? This could be due in part to the
general principle that subsidies should go to the most important needs of
the poor and the lower middle-income group with help such as the waiver
for maid levy for the care of the young and old. One encouraging piece of
support for the sandwiched generation is the Pioneer Generation package
that is tiered to meet the various categories of income background. Another
support is the means-tested Community Health Assistance Scheme that
helps to take the load off healthcare payments for the elderly. However, the
worry still remains for those who care for elderly who miss the criteria for the
Pioneer Generation package.
To be sure, the sandwiched generation is a varied group of people with a
range of “caregiving’’ scenarios for the young and old. This includes paid
and unpaid caregivers, formal and informal arrangements, government
programmes and a combination of siblings, neighbours and trusted people
deployed regularly or in an ad hoc manner. Every “sandwiched’’ household
knows how dynamic and complex care arrangements can be.
The pressure on this generation, typically those between 35 and 59, is great
because of their roles, responsibilities and obligations for care that include
the financial, physical and psycho-social aspects of the care.
It is this load of care, or what is sometimes called the “heavy lifting’’, that
draws attention. It is common to hear calls for official help to shoulder the load
of care. This then leads invariably to the discussion about support, subsidies
and safety net. But for any discussion on these 3 “S” to be meaningful, it has
to recognise that the load of care is differentiated according to households
and the sudden exigencies and emergencies, such as accidents and illnesses,
could overwhelm even the best prepared of them.

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