The ‘Sandwich Generation’ Is Getting Younger—and Homeownership Is at Risk

Rachael Piltch-Loeb was just 29 when she suddenly found herself pulled between two generations.Six months after the birth of her first child, her father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Until then, most of the demands on her time had pointed forward: a new baby, a promising career in academia. But her father’s diagnosis added a new set of responsibilities.Piltch-Loeb began traveling between her home in New York City and her parents’ in Cambridge, MA, trying to establish a routine for her infant son while also being physically present for her father.“Needing to or wanting to be physically there for my parents was a complicated reality for sure,” she tells Realtor.com®.Piltch-Loeb had become part of the “sandwich generation”—Americans caring simultaneously for children and aging relatives. And while she entered that role particularly young, new research suggests the squeeze is arriving early for many families.The average age of taking on sandwich responsibilities is 34, according to a new survey from Care.com.The findings point to a costly collision: Dual caregiving responsibilities are landing during the same years when younger adults are trying to make the leap into home...