With people living longer than ever before, a new generation now struggles to care for their kids, their parents and themselves Cedar Creek Lake Chamber of Commerce guest speaker Sharon Strickland said it is a new phenomenon because more than 50 percent of middle-aged people today still have both parents living. Only about 5 percent of previous generations had parents living when they reached middle age. "We are called the sandwich generation," Strickland said. "We're stuck in the middle." Some even have grandchildren they are helping raise, and that makes them a "club sandwich," she said. Strickland said that she herself has both parents living. "I'm very fortunate to have them still with me," Strickland said. "I feel blessed to share in their care." Strickland's company provides services to seniors who are continuing to live in their homes or with their children. Expenses for care can become a burden so it is critical that people plan ahead, she said. Care around the clock can cost from $200 to $300 per day. Hourly help runs from $16 to $25 an hour. That is why it is critical for people to plan ahead, Strickland said. The younger a person is and the better there health is, the less expensive premiums for long-term care insurance will be, she noted. Strickland said advises families to have meetings to determine what everyone wants to do when a parent reaches an age where they require help. "Ask the parents what they want to do," Strickland said. "Make sure you know what everyone wants, and the sooner the better." Strickland said her own father had a stroke, and he suddenly needed care. There are options on Cedar Creek Lake that include residential facilities with assisted care and complete care, and there are companies like Home Instead that provide caregivers to assist people in their homes. In-home care can be arranged in shifts of four hours to around-the-clock care. The care givers prepare meals, do light housekeeping, bathing and dressing, maintaining a medicine schedule and a variety of other services. "Anything that doesn't require poking or sticking," Strickland said. Visit homeinstead.com or contact Stickland at [email protected]. Call 903-880-5025.