Middle adulthood is often referred to as the "sandwich"generation because many midlife adults are "sandwiched" betweenseveral different caregiving roles. For example, they may continueto be caring for their growing children or grandchildren, and theymay also have caregiving roles for their aging parents. On top ofthese responsibilities, many middle adults are also working tomaintain their marital or romantic relationships.

Instructions: Read the following scenarioand answer the question that follows.

• Scenario: Rebekah is a52-year-old woman living in Whitewater, Wisconsin, with herhusband, Robert. Their youngest son, Ethan, has just finishedcollege at UW-Whitewater, and is getting ready to move to Chicagoto begin a job at a technology start-up. Their older daughter,Lucy, got married last year and just announced that she is pregnantwith her first child. Meanwhile, Rebekah’s parents are in their 70sand are thinking about moving into a retirement home. When Rebekahstops to think about it, she realizes that there are a lot of majortransitions on the horizon for her family, and she is worried abouther ability to cope with it all, let alone maintain a goodrelationship with Robert.

Question toanswer: Imagine that you areRebekah’s sibling, and you have been fortunate to remain close toher throughout adulthood. What advice would you giveher as she prepares for these major transitions, and what shouldshe expect to happen as these transitions occur? Choose TWOtransitions to provide Rebekah with advice about (see optionsbelow). You should also keep the other transitionsand the overall developmental context of middle adulthood in mind.For example, be sure to consider factors related to emotional andidentity development, predictors of healthy family relationships,and physical and cognitive health during middle adulthood.

• Transition options to focus on in your response (chooseTWO to discuss):
  • Ethan graduating and leaving town
  • Becoming a grandparent
  • Helping parents transition to a retirement home
  • Maintaining a high-quality relationship with her husband,Robert

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

The first piece of advice I would give Reb ek ah is to make sure she spends quality time with her hu... View the full answer