July 18,2001
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Page A6
as Family
Boomers Happy to Help
Bi USA TODAY
Baby boomers in the “sand­
wich” years — 45 to 55 — are
crunched by commitments to
their parents and kids, but most
manage with minimal stress,
shows a national survey out to­
day.
Contrary to clichés of narcis­
sistic boomers, the findings of
the AARP phone survey por­
tray the “me” generation as
the “we” generation that gives
freely.
There is a lot of involve­
ment with younger and older
generations, according to the
survey:
•70 percent have at least
one living parent.
•44 percent have kids under
21 at home and living parents
or in-laws.
•Some 22 percent identify
themselves as “caregivers” for
older relatives. More than 80
percent give “ interm ittent”
help, such as driving, house­
work and checking up on them.
•74 percent say family needs
don’t stress them; 48 percent
wish they could do more for
their parents.
When the going gets rough,
spiritual faith and siblings are
key sources o f help.
Blacks surveyed report the
most stress: O ne-third say
th ey ’re stressed by family
commitments. They have the
most children and are more
likely than whites to be caring
for older relatives.
Racial differences in the sur­
vey are partly from econom­
ics, says demographer Harold
Hodgkinsonofthe Institute for
Educational Leadership in
Washington, D.C. “ Increas­
ingly, the middle class of ev­
ery race is living very differ­
ently from lower classes,” he
says.
Cultural differences are ap­
parent, too: Asian-Americans
are most likely to feel they
should do more for parents —
72 percent feel guilty — but
do the most caregiving, the
survey finds.
B o o m ers’ p a re n ts “ are
healthier than parents used to
be at that age,” so that is help­
ing to keep demands down,
says Cornell University soci­
ologist Elaine Wethington.
The findings confirm results
from a large MacArthur Foun­
dation study of midlifers, she
adds. “ People in the middle
have the most going on, but
they have the best mental
health and the most resources
to cope,” she says.
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DIRT.
Retirem ent Living
Our Cultural Ties to Water
mna Arroya (above) is internationally renown for her
printmaking. Arroyo is from Puerto Rico and of Afri
can, Taino and Spanish ancestry. She grew up im­
mersed in the rich cultural traditions of the Caribbean. Her
8-foot woodblock prints on white satin with borders of
African fabric depicts Yemaya, the Yoruba orisha (deity) of
the ocean. Arroyo’s artwork along with her video, “The
Many Faces o f Yemaya’’ can be viewed at the Interstate
Firehouse Cultural Center, located at 5340 N. Interstate
Ave.
Through Aug. 25, the IFCC gallery is featuring the visual arts
of seven women who are giving their unique cultural perspec­
tives on water in an exhibit called “Voices of Water.”
I
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Continuing her commitment to family and
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Call your local Bank of America for more information,
thank you.