OTTAWA—Between caring for elderly parents, raising children, and looking after their own busy lives, baby boomers have a higher rate of depression than the previous generation, says an expert.
Dr. Richard Earle, managing director at the Canadian Institute of Stress, describes this as a “triple-decker-sandwich generation” for the world’s boomers, a term generally referring to those born during the approximately two decades of strong employment and economic growth post-World War II.
“What we’re noticing at the Canadian Institute of Stress and throughout the research literature is a significant rise in mood disorders, including depression, in that baby boomer age group, which is 46 to 64,” said Dr. Earle.
In Canada, about 10 percent of baby boomers are still raising children while looking after—or just beginning to look after—elderly parents, he said.
“Then it’s not just a sandwich generation—it’s a triple-decker sandwich because they’re looking after husband or wife and job and the rest of it.”
Research shows that as many as 4 in 10 boomers are experiencing an unusually high level of stress which can lead to depression, Dr. Earle said.
About 32 percent say they’ve had to cancel travel plans, 34 percent have dropped personal hobbies and interests, and well over 70 percent say the balancing act is interfering with their ability to fulfill responsibilities at work.
There are emotional impacts as well—a feeling of not being able to find pleasure from things they used to enjoy, Dr. Earle explained, “and within that, not being able to concentrate, to focus on what they’re doing, making decisions, and certainly sleep disturbance.”
