'Generation Squeeze': Life gets harder for those caught between supporting dependent children and caring for elderly parents

This. This. And this.

A million times over.

This article - from smh.com.au - completely echoes why I have written my forthcoming book 'The Australian Ageing Generation Handbook' (out June 2014, through Jane Curry Publishing).

Here is an excerpt from the article:

There is no respite for generation squeeze, with pressures simply mounting for people in their 40s and 50s, and women generally doing the heaviest lifting of all, according to Graeme Hugo, director of the Australian Population and Migration Research Centre at the University of Adelaide.

''The load falls disproportionately on these women who straddle the younger baby boomers and the older Gen X-ers,'' he said. ''They have multiple demands on them.''

His observation is supported by the findings from the Australian Work and Life Index, compiled by the University of South Australia's Centre for Work + Life.

Women aged 35 to 44 have the worst work-life balance, but those who are carers for both children and others fare worst of all.

Sara Charlesworth, associate professor at the Centre for Work + Life, said this group was already pushed to the limit with changes flagged in the budget expected to weigh heavily.

''These people are always rushed and pressed for time because they are juggling multiple responsibilities,'' she said.

''That affects their capacity for social interaction, relaxation, exercise. All that gets pushed aside.

''Now we have government policy which is withdrawing financial support at the same time as it's creating an extra care burden for families who will be expected to absorb that.''

Read the rest here.

Utterly accurate. It's the life I am living now. None of my friends are. But in time… they will be. It's the circle of life, pure and simple.

Thoughts on this concept? Can you relate?

Below, the photo collage (created by Adam Cubito from Hello PR & Creative) which shows MY sandwich generation: