A Summary for “Sandwich Generation”.docx

A Summary for “Sandwich Generation”(Unit 5)By Snow YinHunan University2013.11.30A summary of the text “sandwich generation”In this article, the author discusses a serious problems that the sandwich generation is faced with, that is, the difficulty of struggling to care for their children and their elders,while holding down a job as well.First, the author tells Anne’s story (she was unable to look after her old mother because she had to devote herself to her work and look after her children, she finally agreed to take her mother when the hospital promised to help arrange some home care.) to introduce the issue that the sandwich generation has great difficulty in caring for their children and their parents. Then she analyzes the causes of this problem: (1) Today’s seniors had fewer children and there are fewer family members to share the burden. (2) People working twice as hard than before to stay in the same place. People are not always available and families have changed.Next, more specific examples (such as Sharon Murray’s story, Marylou Griffin’s story) are given to further explain problems connected withthe elder care. Also the author points out that even when an elderly parent lives independently, responsibilities can weigh heavily on their children. And the workers, who have some elder-care responsibilities, have more stress, less job satisfaction, and more absence than theircolleagues. Even for those who don’t have to worry about work pressures and taking care of children, caring for their elders may be something painful.Then, the author gives us one example (Francis Littlejohn’s story, he take in his older aunt in his family, and they get on well) to show that there are some family can deal with the older care well.Finally, the author draws the conclusion that for many Canadianfamilies who bear a wide range of new responsibilities, elder care can take a physical and emotional sacrifice.