The Sandwich Generation in Israel—Information Needs and Benefit Awareness

Abstract

Members of the “sandwich generation” are people in the unique position of providing care both to their aging parents and their own children. In this research we examine the benefit awareness and the information needs of the sandwich generation in Israel with respect to the care it provides to its parents. Participants of this research were administered with a questionnaire whose results will be reported in this paper. We find that the sandwich generation’s awareness of its rights is limited, suggesting a low utilization of rights and benefits. Our examination of the information needs reveals that the sandwich generation prefers traditional means of receiving information (such as traditional mail and booklets) in contrast to the modern information media (such as email and internet websites). These results imply that despite the digital revolution, social and welfare programs should not stop providing information in traditional manners.