American adults 65 and older will outnumber children under 18 by 2035, for the first time in history.
70% of people turning 65 today will need some form of long-term care in their lifetime.
Over 53 million Americans are unpaid family caregivers — and 61% of them also work full- or part-time.
23% of US adults are caught in the “sandwich generation” middle. Primarily women in their 40s and 50s, they care for aging parents, while also raising children. The dual caregiving role often leads to financial stress, and burnout.
Who you gonna call for help?
Netta Levy.
Netta Levy
The Westport mother of 3 is herself part of that target demographic. At 51, she and her 2 sisters have faced the very real pressures so many of their cohort already have.
Or soon will.
In early 2021, their father was 92. He worked out every day, was in great health, and relished his independence.
Then, in the middle of the night, he fell.
“We hear it all the time: Families are one fall away from a crisis,” Levy says.
Her father fractured bones in his back. He knew the risks, but opted for surgery. He began rehab by himself, near his Philadelphia home — it was the pandemic, and his family could not see him.
When his recovery faltered, Levy’s mother and sisters worked together to make dcisions. Netta already had power of attorney, and was his healthcare proxy.
“He was clear on the direction he wanted to take. We were clear too,” Levy says. “There were a lot of silver linings.”
Her father died quickly, in hospice care at home, surrounded by love.
Levy’s mother is now 85. She has fallen, and feels lonely. She wants to move to an assisted living facility. Levy and her sisters are figuring out how to balance what she wants, with the financial realities of care. (Medicaid pays for skilled nursing, but not assisted living.)
Netta Levy, her sisters and father on his 90th birthday.
Knowing her own experiences, friends have asked Levy for advice about their own aging parents.
She has always enjoyed helping people. Earlier this year — after a freelance marketing job ended — Levy decided to formalize her work.
She now operates LifeCare Concierge. She provides a single point of contact for all caregiving needs. She helps streamline complex processes, in an unbiased way.
Levy is not affiliated with any care providers, facilities or vendors. She focuses solely on a family’s unique needs.
Among her services: assistance with hospitalizations, transitions, or crises; coordination of home care, assisted living or nursing facilities; and proactive planning (including healthcare directives, legal considerations, and ensuring that wishes are documented before a crisis hits).
Levy also offers guidance on transitioning to a new living environment; evaluations on the safety, functionality and quality of life for aging adults; referrals for attorneys, hospice and palliative care, and Medicaid applications; adjustments, as needs evolve; family counseling and mediation — and support to get through each day with peace of mind.
“Should we bring in an aide? How do we assess different facilities? What do we have to think about next?”
Those are some of the difficult questions that family members must think about — often while managing their own homes and families.
Many individuals and organizations address some of them. Levy covers them all, guiding families through what can be confusing, overwhelming morass.
The sandwich generation. (Graphic courtesy of Verywell/Adriana Sanchez)
She has learned that “no two situations are the same.” But in Westport, she says, there are often similarities.
For example, aging parents of many residents do not live here. She helps clients assess the best option: Move their parents here? Or look for the right facility near where they already live?
One local woman wondered whether her mother’s assisted living facility in Florida was the right place. Levy explored a number of alternatives, and recommended she stay.
“Downsizing and moving are always complex and hard,” she notes. “Add in finding the right senior living facility, and financial issues, and the challenges multiiply.”
On top of which, Levy says, “some places are already full. We’ll see more of that in the future.
“People are getting older. Assisted living can’t take care of all fo them.”
The result, she predicts, will will be an increase in in-home services. She makes sure homes are properly equipped for aging men and women — and that the aides best suited for care are there too.
We are fortunate, Levy adds, that there are many resources in this area. Yet navigating through and among them is not easy.
Levy is concerned with more than the elderly.
“I want people my age to think proactively about our own care,” she says. “We shouldn’t burden our own kids with questions about decisions and finances. We have to unburden our loved ones, and save our own legacy.
“No one wants to talk about death, Levy notes. “But we have to talk about uncomfortable things.”
(Click here for more information on LifeCare Conceirge. The website includes a link to Levy’s blog, with stories on topics like hiring a caregiver, understanding dementia and the health risks of loneliness.)