There’s a huge increase over the last decade in the number of parents living with their adult children in the United States. The term “the sandwich generation” was coined in the 80s, to describe people who care for their children and their parents at the same time. The new book “When I Married My Mother” highlights the growing trend of the inter-generational households. The author, Jo Maeder, joined us with details.

Most people can’t stop working, or work from home, or move to where their aging parent is, or even have a parent move in with them due to lack of space. Does caring for a parent the way you did really make a difference? Is the trade-off in quality of life for them worth the toll it takes on the caregiver? Is a lot of this motivated by guilt?

I’m not trying to lay a guilt trip on anyone. This is not the right solution for a lot of people. Sometimes the parent is too disabled or doesn’t want you to do it. Some enjoy assisted living. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but try to talk about it before you need to. Look into a Long Term Care or Home Health Care insurance policy. They may not be as expensive as you think.

Often when an elderly person says they’re fine and you know they’re not, they’re terrified. It can be nearly impossible to uproot an elderly person, especially one who is a hoarder as my mother.

I’ve now heard so many stories of people doing what I did and having the same positive, transformational results. The word “gift” is often used. Multi-generational living arrangements are on the rise driven by economics as well as a growing need some people feel to reconnect with a family they lost while pursuing their dreams. Someone once said, “You spend half of your life getting away from home and the other half getting back.” That’s exactly what this felt like to me.

What if the elderly person refuses to go along with any plan of action? (source)