While medical technology's advancements and more effective medications contribute to longer lifespans and reduced mortality rates, this achievement also presents a new challenge: caregiver burnout.
The Elderly Caregiving Trend
Providing care for elderly family members is often costly and financially burdensome for numerous households. Moreover, in various Asian cultures, there is a strong tradition of families retaining their elderly relatives at home and personally attending to their needs as they grow older.
John Wong, director of the National University of Singapore's Mind Science Center, noted in clinical settings that caregiving adults face a risk of burnout and experience vulnerability, realizing they will undergo aging themselves in the next few decades.
The World Health Organization predicts that about 22% of the world's population will be aged 60 and above by 2050. According to a 2023 report by the United Nations, the global population of people aged 65 or older is expected to more than double from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion in 2050, and the population of those aged 80 and above is growing even faster.
Asian societies are leading this trend, with projections indicating that by 2050, approximately 40% of the population of Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan will be 65 years old or older, as reported by the World Economic Forum.
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The Sandwich Generation's Burden
As life expectancy increases and fertility rates decline, nuclear families become smaller. This poses new challenges for current societal and economic systems and will significantly impact future generations.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University, notes a trend in welfare states to delegate elderly care responsibilities, which can lead to isolation and feelings of uselessness among the elderly despite their potential contributions to society and younger generations.
While home care for the elderly can enhance their wellbeing, it often places strain on younger generations. The sandwich generation, comprised of middle-aged individuals, finds themselves caring for elderly parents and dependent children, according to Wong, who also serves as an associate professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in NUS. This demographic faces emotional and financial responsibilities towards their parents and children while striving to maintain their professional pursuits.
According to Wong, a significant disparity between the Baby Boomer and Millennials/Gen Z generations may arise from the growing emphasis and expectation to prioritize personal career advancement over family obligations, which could create undue social pressure.
The Pew Research Center defines baby boomers as those born between 1946 and 1964, Millennials as those born between 1981 and 1996, and Generation Z as those born between 1997 and 2012.
How to Prevent Caregiver Burnout
Here are three tips to help manage the caregiving pressure:
- Plan in advance
- Engage in open and honest discussions with family members
- Prioritize self-care
In preparation for this life stage, individuals should discuss openly with family members, setting personal goals, values, and resource allocations. Setting boundaries is crucial to prevent burnout, requiring proactive conversations between parents and children. Additionally, planning caregiving tasks and prioritizing self-care are essential. Streeter also emphasized the importance of self-care, noting that it enables individuals to better care for their loved ones.
Integrate The Elderly in Society
De Neve stressed the importance of integrating the elderly into society meaningfully, advocating for creative solutions to ensure their active participation. He suggested co-locating nursery schools and elderly care homes to foster interaction and mutual benefit, which could broaden children's horizons while allowing the elderly to feel valued and engaged as they witness life blossoming through a two-year-old's eyes.
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