Women have always cared for their family members, so why is the caring for dependent seniors the focus of so much attention, and why is it so important in 2007? The answer lies in the complex nature of our ageing population.

The Department of Statistics says in its report "Bermuda: Population Projections 2000-2030" that "Bermuda's 'greying' population will be one of the greatest challenges facing Bermuda in the twenty-first century."

The Department estimates that our senior population will double to 22 percent by 2030, or approximately 16,500 seniors in real terms. If only 20 percent of those seniors need care, we are looking at over 3,000 caregivers by 2030. And caregivers are pivotal to keeping seniors in their homes as long as possible.

If you could see the Department of Statistics Bermuda population pyramid 2000, you would see that the largest band is for the 35-39 age-group. This band is now, in 2007, aged 42-46. The people in this age group are in their prime working, parenting, and caregiving years, and they will be retired or beginning to retire by 2030.

This group is often called the Sandwich Generation because they are also parenting while working. By adding another layer of informal, unpaid, senior caregiving, we will call them the Club Sandwich Generation (CSG).

Informal caregiving is quite distinct from the chosen career path of care providing. No one chooses to be a caregiver. It is a role that comes slowly over time, or arrives suddenly as a result of a catastrophic illness. It is also a dramatic role reversal, as children become the parents of their parents. Professional care providers, such as continuing care assistants, are protected under the terms of the Employment Act 2000. Caregivers in Bermuda are not protected under the law, and so our focus is on them.

Getting back to the statistics, the narrowest age band in the year 2000 contains the 20-24 age group, reflecting the impact of declining birth rates among women who benefited from birth control, better education, and a more equal playing field in the workplace.

Put crudely, the better educated a woman is and the more opportunities she has, the more expensive it is for her-in terms of lost opportunities-to have a child. This woman will often wait until later in life to start a family, making it less likely that she will have more than one child. Hence, our educated population is producing fewer children. And the women who have traditionally stayed at home to do the caregiving are now in careers that they are reluctant to leave.

At the same time, people are living longer, so we have the double jeopardy of fewer caregivers or caregivers trying to juggle work and caregiving responsibilities and more seniors in need.

This comes at a time when our precious one or two children are working in a global economy, with the result that the loss of one child to the family unit through geographic distance or other means can spell disaster to the quality of life of those left behind.

The good news is that life expectancy of our Club Sandwich Generation is expected to increase, barring the impact of obesity and resulting diabetes along with unforeseen plagues or disasters. Medical advances, some yet to be discovered, will prolong life beyond our present average of 80 years. In fact, it is anticipated that 50 percent of all baby boomers, those born 1946-1964, will live to see their 100th birthday. The bad news is that a long life does not necessarily equal a good quality of life.

We need to find ways of supporting members of the Club Sandwich Generation, so that they can work, raise children, care for their seniors, and maintain their own quality of life. Doing something will cost us. Doing nothing will cost us more, as without the family caregivers we will need many more nursing homes and residential care facilities.

Indeed, without family caregivers our health care system will collapse. As the Department of Statistics says, our greying population will be a major challenge of the twenty-first century. It will be very interesting to see if Bermuda is ready for the challenge.

Marian Sherratt is Executive Director, Bermuda Council on Ageing. She writes on issues concerning ageing each fortnight in The Royal Gazette. Send email responses to info@bdaca.org.