Champs again

The Arc issues call to action for funding

First Posted: 8/11/2014 SCRANTON &#8212; Ann Talarico and Margherita Sabia know what the &#8220;sandwich generation&#8221; is all about, and they detailed their personal struggles in testimony offered to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey on Monday.
Casey, D-Scranton, convened the hearing at The Arc of Lackawanna County on Meadow Avenue to hear from people struggling with caring for their families.
The so-called &#8220;sandwich generation&#8221; are those who are caring for older parents, raising children and preparing for retirement. Three panelists detailed their increasing challenges that include caring for aging parents, income issues and preparing for retirement.
&#8220;Helping more Americans secure their retirement while caring for their parents and raising their children is a significant challenge that will require government, the private sector, educational institutions and non-profits to work together,&#8221; Casey said. &#8220;Thousands of residents in Northeast Pennsylvania and throughout the country are working harder than ever to make a decent living, squeeze every dollar they can to prepare for retirement and meet their obligations to their family.&#8221;
Casey said Monday&#8217;s hearing, in particular the personal testimony from residents, will play an important role in the policies that Congress will examine in the coming months. Casey is on the Senate Special Committee on Aging that is examining issues facing older Americans.
Testifying Monday were: Jennifer Adrian, Director of Clinical Services for the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging; Talarico, a Lackawanna County resident and asingle mother of four who also i scaring for her mother; Sabia, a Dunmore resident and mother of three including one child with autism.
Casey said many are struggling to support two generations, one behind them and the other ahead.
&#8220;Too many folks are working longer and harder for less,&#8221; Casey said. &#8220;These are families that just came through the Great Recession. A stronger economy needs a stronger middle class.&#8221;
Casey offered some key statistics:
&#8226; Nearly half (47 percent) of adults in their 40s and 50s have a parent age 65 or older and are either raising a young child or financially supporting a grown child.
&#8226; Roughly 1 in 7 (15 percent) middle-aged adults are providing financial support to both an aging parent and a child.
&#8226; Child care is the highest household expense faced by dual income households, averaging $14,872 a year for 2 children.
&#8226; From the start of the recession in 2007 to its end in 2009, there has been a 10.5 percent jump in multi-generational households, with grandparents, parents, and grandchildren all under the same roof.
&#8226; The average out of pocket expenses associated with caring for an aging parent is $5,531 per year.
&#8226; Among working women, 25 percent have taken an extended break from work of six months or longer to care for family members.
Talarico is a 49-year-old divorced, working, mother of four and a grandmother, who lives in her own home with her 20-year-old and 9-year-old sons.
&#8220;Finances are an issue for everyone lately,&#8221; Talarico said.
Talarico said she has no savings and hopes to work long enough so she can retire.
&#8220;I really can&#8217;t imagine living on what my mother lives on without a savings to help out when I am her age,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Saving for my future is not happening right now.&#8221;
Talarico said saving for her future or older years is not really an option at this point. She told Casey good jobs are needed for the region.
Sabia, 47, and her husband have three children, including a 9-year-old with autism. Her father is 75 years old and has been disabled since 1972 due to neck surgery and is in a wheelchair.
&#8220;For the last couple of weeks it&#8217;s been very hard to juggle between my own family and my parents,&#8221; Sabia said.
Casey said between 1989 and 2010, the median household income increased 70 percent, but college tuition increased over 300 percent and health care costs increased over 200 percent during this same time. He said the value of the minimum wage has lost one-third of its value since 1968.

Casey hears testimony from ‘Sandwich’ generation