Ronald J. Burke and Lisa M. Calvano (eds): The Sandwich Generation. Caring for Oneself and Others at Home and at Work

The book entitled ‘‘The Sandwich Generation. Caring for Oneself and Others at Home and at Work’’ (edited by Ronald J. Burke, Lisa M. Calvano) examines the exchange of care between generations and its impact on caregivers’ lives from different theoretical and practical perspectives. Moreover, it addresses the important issue of supporting carers in their responsibilities towards family members and professional work by organizations and social policies. The volume is composed of 12 chapters, which are organized in four parts. Almost all chapters (with the exception of two) are based on the review of existing theories and empirical studies. The first part ‘‘Introduction and context’’ focuses on a general situation of the sandwich generation, and more broadly the caregivers, and the different aspects of caregiving and their effects on people’s lives and their daily functioning. In particular, the introductory chapter is devoted to the multifaced issue of caregiving. It also presents the challenges caregiving creates for individuals, families, organizations and societies. The next chapter which is an interesting example of empirical analyses, investigates different aspects of caregiving and its impact on, among others, caregivers’ lives, employment and quality of life of sandwiched caregivers in comparison with other caregivers. The last chapter of this part presents socio-demographic perspectives on intergenerational relations in later life which shape care exchanges between generations. The authors discuss various aspects of intergenerational relations and their impact on relatives’ readiness and willingness to help those in need. Part II ‘‘Taking care of caregivers’’ is composed of two chapters. The first one addresses the issue of supporting the caregiver of a person with dementia disease. The second one is a review of theoretical considerations and empirical research on