The next challenge for the sandwich generation is here
For those in the sandwich generation (people who might still be raising children while also having to care for our aging parents) there is a new challenge on the horizon. The quick changes in technology that are intended to make our lives easier, can become a big problem for those not keeping up with the changes.
Let’s be honest, there has never been an easy time in history to raise children. Each generation brings its own set of issues that need to be addressed. While your children usually live with you for a great deal of their formative years, it allows you to have some feeling of control. The tech they are growing up is continuing to evolve, and their tech habits evolve with the changes. However, when it comes to aging relatives, they are going to need our help with keeping up.
Think about the tech advancements in the life of the average 70- to 80-year-old. Born in the 40’s and 50’s, they have really seen quite a bit of change in their lifetime. The computers they owned collectively for the first 50 years of their life had much less computing power than the one they carry in their pocket today. Cars may have been scarce when they were kids, and now there are cars driving themselves. While I am not trying to make anyone feel older than they are, we do just need to take a moment to acknowledge how much things have changed. And after 15 years as a financial advisor, there is one thing I can tell you that most people dislike in their personal life as they get older, and it is change.
Have discussions with your aging relatives about all the things we take for granted. Things like not clicking on links in emails and text messages from sources you do not trust.
My point here is that we are going to be called upon more frequently to help our aging relatives with the new ways of the world. This is the generation that when they had a problem, they called customer service to get it fixed. We know that the customer service departments of the world are quickly being replaced by websites, AI chat bots, or possibly outsourced overseas. Things we take for granted like self-serve kiosks at stores can be quite a challenge for those not used to that process. Something that used to be as simple as going to the bank and working with a teller is slowly becoming more of a challenge as banks will continue to downsize their brick-and-mortar operations. Then think about the endless doom loop of forgotten passwords/two factor authentication that we have all found ourselves part of at some time. Try explaining that to someone who is not tech savvy.
Furthermore, technological advancements provide a much greater security risk to those who are behind the curve. The dark side of the world, the one where people are trying to take advantage of others, has lots of other pitfalls we need to help our loved ones avoid. Have discussions with your aging relatives about all the things we take for granted. Things like not clicking on links in emails and text messages from sources you do not trust. If they are on social media, talk to them about scammers posing as a catfish. Get them a phone screening service for their cell phones. Google builds it right into their phones, and I love it. Always let them know to call you first if anything seems suspicious. Finally, please talk to them about the fact that anybody who insists on getting paid in gift cards is trying to scam them. Here is a helpful site that covers this material in greater detail. https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/
A lot of the things we think of as improvements (most of the time) are quite possibly things that will make things harder for some. Now is a good time to have those conversations with loved ones who might be the target of nefarious actors. Always encourage them to reach out to you when something does not feel right. They looked after us for all those years, now is the time to return the favor.
