Wednesday, July 16, 2008

New Poll: Most Sandwichers Feel Forced to Neglect Either Senior Parents or Children

New Poll: Most Sandwichers Feel Forced to Neglect Either Senior Parents or Children
***Calendar Advisory : July is "Sandwich Generation" Month***

53% Must Make Hard Choices About Whose Needs Come First
OKLAHOMA CITY/ MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- Poll results released today reveal that the estimated 20 million(1) Americans who juggle caring for their own children and their aging parents--the Sandwich Generation(2)--feel forced to make tough choices.

The study, commissioned by Christian Companion Senior Care and Presto Services Inc. and conducted by Harris Interactive,® found that of Sandwichers:

53% feel forced to choose between caring for their children or caring for their parents at least once a week
20% feel they must choose to care for one or the other EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK
40% believe that their parents did a better job of balancing multi-generational caregiving than they do
"No one wants to feel that they must choose between caring for their aging parents or caring for their kids," said Gary Brown, senior care and Sandwich Generation expert and founder and president of Christian Companion Senior Care. "But the survey indicates that millions of Sandwich Generation Americans are facing these tough, stressful choices every day."

Solutions for those in the vice grip of competing generational responsibilities are beginning to emerge. Christian Companion Senior Care and Presto Mail service offer solutions for members of the Sandwich Generation to ease their caregiving stress and improve communication with aging parents. Christian Companion is the nation's first franchised senior care resource that offers practical in-home assistance and spiritual encouragement to enable seniors to live independently at home. Presto--which couples an HP Printing Mailbox and Presto Mail service--enables tech- savvy family members to send email messages, family photos and notes of encouragement as well as daily reminders, medical instructions and more to seniors who aren't online--saving time and easing some of the stress of caregivers.

"We can't be everywhere at once, so access to affordable solutions--including technology--is essential for the 25 percent of American households that are involved in caregiving for a senior,(3)" said Peter Radsliff, a vice president with Presto.

Interview Opportunities:

Gary Brown--senior care and Sandwich Generation expert, columnist on senior issues and founder and president of Christian Companion Senior Care
Peter Radsliff--Presto vice president of marketing and Sandwich Generation expert who has developed and marketed consumer technology products for more than 20 years
Members of the Sandwich Generation using solutions provided by Christian Companion Senior Care and Presto to manage and aid their multi- generational caregiving responsibilities
Interactive Opportunity: Poll Your Audience of Sandwichers.

In managing your multi-generational caregiving responsibilities, what would make the biggest impact/improvement?
• Flex hours at work • An understanding spouse • Help from an outside source • Technology advances
Stats: (For additional stats and sources click here)

Seniors aged 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population--increasing from 4.2 to 7.3 million by 2020(4)
More than three-quarters of baby boomers are concerned about their parents' ability to age in place and live independently(5)
63% of boomers say they are providing some kind of help or support for their parents(6)
About Christian Companion Senior Care:
Seniors aged 85 and older are now the fastest- growing segment of the U.S. population.(4) Christian Companion Senior Care is the nation’s first franchised senior care resource that offers practical in- home assistance and spiritual encouragement to seniors who need help living independently in the home they love. Christian Companion recognizes that more than three-quarters of Baby Boomers are concerned about their parents' ability to age in place and live independently. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Christian Companion is expanding to offer franchises across the United States. www.ChristianSeniorCare.com

About Presto Services Inc.
Presto Services Inc. was founded in 2004 to help families and friends stay better connected across generations. Led by a team of consumer product and technology veterans from Apple, AOL, Intuit, Monster Cable, Palm, WebTV/Microsoft and Yahoo!, Presto is redefining digital delivery through a unique service that automatically prints the digital content people want to enjoy without the hassle and expense of a computer or Internet connection. Presto's first consumer solution--the HP Printing Mailbox coupled with Presto Mail service--delivers email, photos, PDF documents and ad-free subscription content. Presto Services Inc. is based in Mountain View, Calif. Its publishing partners include Dow Jones & Company, Meredith Corporation and Tribune Media Services. www.Presto.com

About the Survey
The Christian Companion Senior Care and Presto Services Inc. study was conducted by telephone within the United States by Harris Interactive® between June 19 and 23, 2008 among 2,009 U.S. adults ages 18 and older of whom 254 are members of the Sandwich Generation—parents with children living in their household and a parent living in their household or are responsible for some aspect of caregiving for their or their spouse/significant other's parent. For full survey methodology and all survey results please contact Amy Anderson at (770) 813-0000 or (404) 545- 1191 (cell).

1 MSNBC, 2007.
2 For the purposes of this study we have defined "Sandwich Generation" as U.S. adults ages 18+ who are parents of children living in their household who also have a parent living in their household or are responsible for some aspect of caregiving for their or their spouse/significant other's parent.
3 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health, 2006.
4 U.S. Census Bureau, 2006.
5 " Aging in Place in America," commissioned by Clarity and The EAR Foundation, August 2007.
6 "Aging in Place in America," commissioned by Clarity and The EAR Foundation, August 2007.

3mnewswire.org

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