with kids so he can start his workday.
That’s the way my parents did it too!
“When my mother was diagnosed with
cancer, knowing she did not speak English,
I went into research mode at night on the
Internet. I met with her doctors in the
evenings, translated information and diagrams so that my mother knew what was
happening. As Latinos have always known,
it does take a village to support one another in the time of need.”
BARBARA KERECZ, CORPORATE BENEFITS, AETNA
◆ Blacks are likely to be more stressed
because of illness or a death in the family.
Blacks are much more likely ( 43 percent)
than others to have suffered the death of a
family member within the last year, compared with the general public ( 28 percent ).
GROUP: BLACKS
WHAT THE AARP REPORT SAYS:
The Sandwich Generation:
Who Is Most Stressed Caring for
Children and Parents While Working?
40%
30% 32% 28% 29%
20%
10%
16%
0%
LLaatitninoo AAssia iann BlBaclakck WhWitehite
S ource: AARP
A READER’S STORY:
“I am a 50-year-old African-American single
mother with two children—daughter, 31,
son, 17, and a 6-year-old granddaughter.
My mother is 84 years old and my father is
85. I lost my brother 13
years ago through lung
cancer and he was 43. I am
from the baby-boom generation and it seems as
though my world has
blown up with more
responsibilities than I
could have ever imagined.
“Try juggling two elder-
ly parents with two needy
children (they never ever
grow up) and a high-pres-
sured job and you are
bound to take the roller-
coaster ride of your life. I
am a legal administrative
assistant at the NFL and it
feels as though I am
dressed in my football gear
every day—dare I forget my helmet—to
tackle the ongoing onslaught of high drama
from both my personal and work life. It’s
like doing somersaults and praying to God
that I land on my head rather than my feet.
