Health & Wellness

NAPSI)—The Sandwich Generation, named for the population of Americans caring for both their school-aged children and an aging parent or other relative, has been uniquely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey and white paper from New York Life, “Caregiving and COVID-19: How the pandemic is expanding the sandwich generation.” This is largely due to an enhanced demand on the typical type of care the generation provides as a result of the coronavirus’ effect on schooling, healthcare, and everyday work and life. The survey found it was largely millennials and particularly women shouldering the burden. 

How COVID-19 has Affected the Sandwich Generation 

The coronavirus is stretching both time and money thin for the Sandwich Generation, sometimes at the expense of their financial, physical and emotional well-being. 

This demographic has spent thousands of dollars in total care for their dependents over time—and the coronavirus pandemic is intensifying this budget crunch. On average, 69 percent  say they’re paying for this care out of their own daily budgets, with 27 percent working more hours to get the extra funds, 27 percent drawing from their emergency savings, 20 percent sharing costs with a sibling and 18 percent ultimately delaying paying bills.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the data found, more than half of those in the Sandwich Generation spend more each month caring for others, as nearly one-quarter of people report spending extra each month on top of the average $1,000. As a result, about four in 10 put less each month toward their savings and about one-third have less for their retirement, debt, or their personal well-being. Over time, these can make a big difference for a financial portfolio and create additional concerns for financial health. 

“As COVID-19 exacerbates the stress on the Sandwich Generation and the economic outlook remains uncertain, preparing for the unexpected becomes critical to achieving long-term financial security,” advised Dylan Huang, Head of Retail Annuities, Investment Solutions and Wealth Planning, New York Life. “While our data suggests a troubling trend of Sandwich Generation families sacrificing long-term savings for shorter term needs, the outlook is not all dark skies. This report shows that those working with financial professionals are able to improve their financial well-being and feel more confident about their financial solutions, their family’s future, and their own retirement.” 

What’s Next

As the evolving Sandwich Generation navigates its family responsibilities and day-to-day routine, it’s important to keep the financial basics in mind and prioritize time to set their family up for more success and less stress in the future. Thinking about life insurance, their emergency fund, and ensuring that their investment portfolio is diversified and within a comfortable risk tolerance, are all areas that can provide security over time and let the Sandwich Generation focus on their loved ones instead of worrying about their finances. 

Learn More

For further facts, stats, as well as to see the entire report and survey methodology, visit www.newyorklife.com.

(NAPSI)—Good news for families: The Tooth Fairy now has her own phone number to congratulate kids on losing teeth and encourage them to care for their smiles—helping to promote good oral health habits and reduce the incidence of tooth decay.

Parents and guardians can call the Tooth Fairy Hotline toll-free at 1-833-FAIRY-WA for their children, and select from four messages from the tooth fairies. 

Each pre-recorded call features a different tooth fairy with a distinct pediatric dental health message designed just for kids. The messages include:

•First Lost Tooth—this celebrates a child’s first lost tooth and describes the importance of baby teeth

•Lost Tooth—this celebrates a child’s lost tooth and encourages kids to keep up a healthy smile

•Good Dental Exam—this one congratulates children for a good dental exam and prepares them for future appointments 

•Poor Dental Exam—this provides words of encouragement for a child’s next dental exam if the first appointment did not go well.

The new hotline is part of The Tooth Fairy Experience, a free statewide program presented by Delta Dental of Washington. It teaches kids how to keep young smiles healthy and sets them on a path for a lifetime of good oral health through free community and classroom presentations (currently offered virtually), as well as downloadable materials for educators—developed in partnership with the School Nurse Organization of Washington—which are dentist-reviewed and kid-tested.

“The Tooth Fairy is a powerful ally in getting kids to care for their smiles,” said Abbie Goudarzi, DDS, a Delta Dental of Washington dental consultant. “So these positive phone messages can be a great tool for helping parents start a dialogue with their children about cavities and the importance of brushing, flossing and nutrition.”

Additional Ways to Interact with the Tooth Fairy

For those looking for more fun ways to engage, the Tooth Fairy offers customized letters for children, You can pick from special message options similar to the hotline. The letters are addressed to each child and mailed to their homes on the Tooth Fairy’s personal stationery with a special Tooth Fairy stamp. 

The Tooth Fairy even has her very own website (www.TheToothFairyExperience.com), social media channels (Facebook and Instagram @ToothFairyWA) and offers a free quarterly e-newsletter, Grin & Grow, for young fans. The newsletters contain information about the Tooth Fairy’s upcoming appearances, helpful dental health information written for kids, fun tooth facts and much more. Simply visit TheToothFairyExperience.com and scroll to the bottom of the page to subscribe—and rest assured that you can cancel at any time, your e-mail won’t be shared, and you won’t get any additional unsolicited e-mails.

Additionally, due to COVID-19, the Tooth Fairy is providing free face masks to children upon request. The masks showcase an illustration of the tooth fairies. Parents and guardians can e-mail the Tooth Fairy at hello@thetoothfairyexperience.com to request a mask while supplies last. 

“We’re really excited with the response we’re getting from The Tooth Fairy Experience. Everyone from teachers and librarians, to dentists, parents and most importantly the kids themselves are saying what a wonderful experience this is,” said Kristi Ellefson, senior public relations and brand manager for Delta Dental of Washington. “The Tooth Fairy hotline and letters are just two of the ways the program is making dental health education fun and exciting for kids, helping us achieve our vision for a cavity-free Washington.”

(NAPSI)—The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting nationwide K-12 school closures have created a social and economic impact that has paralyzed many communities. The lack of a proven technological solutions to help counter the impact of COVID in schools has compounded the crisis—but that can be fixed. 

Recently, two important developments have created an opportunity for a new national strategy to address the economic and health challenges facing schools, while equipping every classroom with healthy air filtration technology. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), recently signed into law, includes $54.3 billion to help K-12 public schools address the COVID-19 impact, with the goal of improving health and safety measures within these schools. Stand-alone air purification units for every classroom are the most efficient, scalable and cost-effective solution to reopen K-12 public schools safely, would require less than five percent of this relief funding, and can be deployed rapidly.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes that COVID-19 is transmitted via airborne particles, meaning filtration is critical. “Minimizing airborne viral load in the indoor school environment can help maintain and support the safe reopening of schools, benefiting not just the students and staff but, even more, their families and communities,” said Paul Scialla, founder and CEO of Delos and founder of the International WELL Building Institute. 

Based on many years of research, including ultra-fine particle filtration of indoor air and collaborations with organizations such as the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, Delos has become the world leader in healthy buildings. Delos (www.delos.com) has deployed over 100,000 air filtration units into some of the country’s largest public school systems, including New York City, Chicago, Miami-Dade and Baltimore. As many schools’ HVAC systems are not designed to filter air particles as small as SARS-CoV-2, these portable units provide a scalable and cost-effective solution to help create safer environments across the nations’ six million K-12 public school classrooms—without requiring HVAC upgrades.

“When schools are closed, children lose access to critical support, food and safety, with the most vulnerable children paying the heaviest price. Committing to these upgrades for schools will cost a small fraction of what is allocated, and the positive impact will be transformational and permanent,” concluded Scialla. “We are here and ready to help school districts looking to make change in their communities with the funding they receive from CAA.”

(NAPSI)—Maintaining social connections and staying mentally and physically active is key to reducing social isolation and loneliness among older adults, particularly now during the COVID-19 national health crisis. 

There are many opportunities for older adults and caregivers to remain engaged and connected to their family, friends and community with and without technology during the pandemic. Here are a few suggestions all of us might consider doing during this time: 

Reach out. Try to call a family member or friend every day, write them a note or send a card. 

Stay active, mentally and physically. Move more and sit less. Engage in physical activity such as a walk or online group exercise classes. 

Flex your brain. Draw a sketch, write a poem or short story, or start journaling. 

Create connections using technology. Use online tools to connect with friends and family. Attend virtual events and concerts or tour museums from home. Read a book online. 

Volunteer and share your skills from home. Develop a virtual mentoring relationship with a student through a local college or connect with your local Area Agency on Aging to find opportunities to help others.

Through its website, www.eldercare.acl.gov, and national Call Center at 1-(800)-677-1116, the Eldercare ­Locator can inform and connect older adults and caregivers to local programs and services that provide a variety of ways to stay connected to others in their communities to reduce social isolation and loneliness.