The Sandwich Generation…The New Normal for Macomb County MI Families?

Have you heard of the term “The Sandwich Generation?”  Well, if you haven’t up until now, then you’ll probably start to hear it more and more.  Heck, you might even be a member of The Sandwich Generation and you don’t even know it.

It’s a term that I find extremely accurate and descriptive once you understand the context in which it’s used.  So what exactly does it mean?

The Sandwich Generation is a generation of people who care for their aging parents while supporting their own children.

Dorothy A. Miller coined the term “sandwich generation” back in 1981, and Carol Abaya has continued to study and expose what it means to millions of Americans.

Carol Abaya, M.A., is nationally recognized as an expert on the sandwich generation, aging and elder/parent care issues. As a journalist, she has written about aging issues for more than 20 years. Her magazine, The Sandwich Generation^®.

·             Traditional: those sandwiched between aging parents who need care and/or help and their own children.

·             Club Sandwich: those in their 50s or 60s sandwiched between aging parents, adult children and grandchildren, or those in their 30s and 40s, with young children, aging parents and grandparents.

·             Open Faced: anyone else involved in elder care.

 Merriam-Webster and Oxford English officially added the term to their dictionaries in 2006, and Carol also coined the words “club sandwich generation” and “open face sandwich generation.”  Some day, they may also find their way into these prestigious dictionaries.

With all of the definitions and persons responsible for coining the terms aside, what does this term mean to you?  If you are a part of The Sandwich Generation, you know that it means you are playing a huge game of tug-o-war. It’s a tug-o-war between your aging parents and your children for your time, care, love and attention.  And, that doesn’t even go into the stress that comes with caring for your loved ones financially.

Sellers who have move in condition properties that are priced right are finding their homes selling quickly for top dollar, and many are having the problem of multiple offers to choose from.

No matter your situation, visit www.MyMIHomeValue.com for a FREE No-Obligation comparative market analysis of your home or condo. This system can tell you how much your property is worth in today's market ...and we might even have a buyer waiting for it!

Rick Giese has more than 27 years of experience selling residential real estate, probate, trust and conservatorship. Rick can help you. Contact Rick Giese, associate broker at RE/MAX Advisors at 1-800-274-5656 or rick@rickigiese.com.

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Want to know today's present market value of your home? Check out our online CMA site at  www.MyMIHomeValue.com

Consistently ranked as one of Southeastern Michigan's associate brokers of Seniors Real Estate Help, Equity Sales and Short Sales. Rick Giese has over 27 years of Real Estate experience and is one of the areas Rick has a strong focus on assisting homeowners in need, Rick Giese offers a straightforward no nonsense consultation designed to give you all the information and facts to enable you to make the best decision for you and your family. As every situation is different, Rick offers his insight and knowledge of the real estate transaction process and all the options available to you to get the most money the market will pay or to help you avoid foreclosure. Call Rick Giese today at toll free 1-800-274-5656 or your free consultation of your situation and sleep better tonight

Rick Giese specializes in senior’s real estate assistance in the Macomb, Oakland and southern St Clair County Areas of Oakland Short Sale Help Macomb and our services are offering senior sellers and their family’s options. Rick is currently offering our services in the Richmond, Shelby Township, Macomb Township, Chesterfield Township, New Baltimore, Clinton Township, Sterling Heights, Mount Clemens (Mt Clemens) Fraser, Harrison Township, Warren, Roseville, St Clair Shores areas of Macomb County Michigan Madison Heights, Troy, Clawson, Royal Oak, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Berkley, Birmingham areas of Oakland County

www.MySeniorHelpDesk.com Southeastern Michigan: The Baby Boomers are Coming!

It began in 2011, and it’s going to keep happening until 2030: 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 each day, and those in the senior housing industry don’t think the “Greatest Generation” is going to enter quietly into accommodations that don’t meet their standards and expectations.

The Boomer generation has generally gone through life demanding that things be done their way—not the other way around—and this attitude will likely play a large role in the assisted living landscape in the coming years, according to senior living experts.

Today’s seniors aren’t really looking to downsize, and when they come to a senior community they want to bring their “stuff” with them and keep doing the activities they’re used to doing, says Manny Gonzalez, an architect with design firm KTGY Group, Inc., based in California.

“What we’re seeing in a lot of cases is that our clients are trying to bring designs into this next generation of architecture and planning where we don’t want our communities and our floor plans to look like the house Mom and Dad moved into, and certainly not the one we put Grandma into 25 years ago,” he says.

The baby boomer generation “has turned everything on its head that it has touched since the 1960s,” says Tom Grape, chairman and CEO of Benchmark Senior Living, and it “won’t be any different” for senior housing.

Many 50+ communities are now sporting a more “contemporary” design and feature modern furnishings and an extensive use of technology, Gonzalez told SHN.

“If you don’t have a place to have Wii fitness in your community, you’re missing the boat,” he says. “You don’t even need to have the personal trainer, you just turn on the game. Putting flexibility into communities and the amenities and allowing people to update things quickly is good.”

The architect also said that his firm is seeing a lot of clients who want to include activities residents used to have to leave behind, and he said they’re putting workshops and gardens into some of their communities.
More pets are being allowed in, too, with pet-washing and dog parks cropping up in rental communities.
Urban locations are becoming increasingly sought after, where amenities can be found alongside the site, as opposed to being located within the community itself.

“They’re used to having the services they want, when they want them… The voice of the customer has never been more powerful than it is today, and it will only grow,” Grape says. “In the future, boomers will want more services. [They're] going to want urban settings, mixed-use settings, so they can have a full array of choices.”

“People are being a little more particular about the sites they select, so that there are those sorts of opportunities for their residents,” Gonzales agrees.

While golf still important to some, other communities are being shaped around a more active lifestyle, with hiking trails or water sports, he adds. And despite 71% of middle-class baby boomers worrying they’ll outlive their money in retirement, according to a report  from Bankers Life and Casualty Company Center for a Secure Retirement, the “resort style of design” is gaining steam.

“The best developments tend to be contemporary [in style],” Gonzalez says. “There are places that look like you went to Cancun or Palm Springs or some really great recreation area… they’re being done well.”
As an architect, he says it’s exciting to try to anticipate trends and design with them in mind. Technology, in particular, is sure to continue to play a large role, and Gonzalez says it will be interesting to see how new technology will eventually work its way into the senior markets.

No matter your situation, visit my FREE Online CMA site at: www.MyMIHomeValue.com for a FREE No-Obligation comparative market analysis of your home or condo. This system can tell you how much your property is worth in today's market.

Rick Giese has more than 27 years of experience selling residential real estate, helping Macomb County MI seniors, probate, trust and conservatorship. Rick can help you. Contact Rick Giese, associate broker at RE/MAX Advisors at 1-800-274-5656 or rick@rickigiese.com

Consistently ranked as one of Southeastern Michigan's associate brokers of Equity Sales and Short Sales. Rick Giese has over 27 years of Real Estate experience and is one of the areas Rick has a strong focus on assisting homeowners in need, Rick Giese offers a straightforward no nonsense consultation designed to give you all the information and facts to enable you to make the best decision for you and your family. As every situation is different, Rick offers his insight and knowledge of the real estate transaction process and all the options available to you to get the most money the market will pay or to help you avoid foreclosure. Call Rick Giese today at toll free 1-800-274-5656 or your free consultation of your situation and sleep better tonight


Rick Giese specializes in loan modification assistance and short sales in the Macomb, Oakland and southern St Clair County Areas of . Loan Modification Help, Short Sale Help. Oakland Short Sale Help Macomb and our services are offering sellers another option besides pre-foreclosure foreclosure or bankruptcy that can affect their credit for years. We are currently offering our services in the Richmond, Shelby Township, Macomb Township, Chesterfield Township, New Baltimore, Clinton Township, Sterling Heights, Mount Clemens (Mt Clemens) Fraser, Harrison Township, Warren, Roseville, St Clair Shores areas of Macomb County Michigan Madison Heights, Troy, Clawson, Royal Oak, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Berkley, Birmingham areas of Oakland County