As funeral professionals, you understand the evolving needs of families in your community. Among the most complex and growing demographic is the “sandwich generation” — adults who are responsible for their aging parents while also supporting their own children, therefore “sandwiched” between two vastly different family groups. Balancing these responsibilities often leads to looking for ways to reduce financial burdens and plan for the future, making preneed planning an ideal solution.
Connecting with this generation can help relieve some of their financial burdens, while allowing your funeral business to secure financial stability. Keep reading for how to best connect with and share the benefits of preplanning with the sandwich generation.
ABOUT THE SANDWICH GENERATION
The sandwich generation gets their name from being "sandwiched" between two primary roles: caring for their aging parents and raising their own children or financially supporting their young adult children. This generation includes middle-aged adults in their 40s or early 50s, typically juggling full-time careers while navigating the responsibilities of caring for two completely different types of dependents.
While a segment of adults caring for aging parents and their own children has always existed, research shows that this demographic now extends to more than half of all adults in their 40s. The demographic has significantly increased in recent years due to the combination of having children later in life than generations before and longer life expectancies.
Identifying The Sandwich Generation's Unique Challenges
The sandwich generation faces unique challenges as they manage the additional financial and emotional stress that family caregiving responsibilities add to life. Understanding these challenges is critical for funeral professionals, so you can provide the most relevant preneed solutions to client families in this generation.
Financial Strain
Juggling rising healthcare expenses for aging parents and setting money aside for education expenses for young children, all while trying to save for retirement can be nerve-wracking. This leaves little room in the budget for unexpected costs, such as funeral expenses.
Time Constraints
The constant pull of caring for two generations (not to mention while working a full-time or part-time job!) leaves little time for self-care, personal hobbies or planning for the future. On top of that, ensuring their children arrive where they need to each day and dedicating time to supporting their extracurricular activities can feel busy and stressful. Planning for the future often takes a backseat to the demands of day-to-day needs.
Emotional Stress & Anxiety
Balancing caregiving responsibilities for aging parents while raising children in today’s world leaves little time for self-care or personal priorities. The constant demands can lead to burnout and feelings of being pulled in every direction, which can create stress.
Many people in this generation don’t know how to talk to their parents about end-of-life planning or when they should start to plan. They worry about how to honor their parents’ wishes while ensuring their own children are set up for the future.
Using Data to Better Understand the Sandwich Generation
Since 2006, Homesteaders Life Company has gathered information from policy owners, discovering key data, like what influences them to prearrange, when they think is the best age for end-of-life planning, how they hear about preplanning and more. We collect and compile this information in our Preneed Motivators Report to help funeral professionals create data-driven strategies for their preneed programs by understanding the factors that motivate policy owners. We pulled some key strategies and data from our newest report that you can implement into your preneed program.
1. Target Online Engagement
The sandwich generation is increasingly tech-savvy. In our most recent report, 17% of policy owners turned to the internet for prearranging information, up from 11% in 2021. Nearly 75% of these searches focused on price and cost information.
Ensure your funeral home’s website is optimized for mobile use and includes transparent information, service options, FAQs and more. Integrate tools like eFuneral to provide online prearrangement options and generate high-quality leads for your preneed program.
2. Emphasize Family-Centered Messaging
Messages that resonate most with this generation highlight how preplanning reduces emotional and financial stress for loved ones. Use real-life testimonials from satisfied client families to illustrate the peace of mind that comes with prearranging. In fact, client satisfaction is so high that nearly all policy owners have reported they are completely or very satisfied with their decision to preplan.
Highlight how preplanning provides peace of mind. Help this generation take care of these decisions now through advance funeral planning, reducing emotional and financial burdens on their families later. Policy owners report that ages 70 to 84 is what many consider “the right age” to prearrange, so keep this in mind if they’re seeking information to share with their aging parents.
This generation is motivated by the desire to ease future burdens for their families. According to our research, 71% of policy owners had prior funeral planning experience, often after the loss of a loved one. This firsthand knowledge reinforces their appreciation for preplanning’s emotional and financial benefits.
3. Partner with Financial Planners and Host Community PresentationsNearly 44% of policy owners reported consulting with professional financial planners, so collaborating with local financial and estate planning professionals can create mutually beneficial relationships.
Position yourself as a preneed expert to build brand awareness within your community, generate word-of-mouth referrals and boost your preneed program financially. Hosting co-branded educational seminars or lunch-and-learn events to discuss end-of-life planning can engage this generation.
4. Leverage Referrals and the Value of Customers
Word-of-mouth recommendations remain a powerful way to generate new customers. Our research shows 35% of policy owners recommend preplanning to two or more people.
Encourage client families to share their experiences through testimonials, online Google reviews and social media. A simple, yet effective way to obtain positive Google reviews is through a comprehensive text-based aftercare program.
Remember, every person you serve, even those who attend a service at your funeral home, has the potential to recommend your funeral home to others in your community. Those positive word-of-mouth recommendations and online reviews can drive even more business and increase the overall Customer Lifetime Value. Offering incentives for referrals can also boost engagement.
5. Make it Easy to Get Started
Nearly 30% of policy owners reported that knowing how to begin the preplanning process is the most challenging step. Since time is limited for this generation because of their busy schedules, making it easy for them to get started is the most effective way to connect.
Simplify the process of preplanning by offering checklists, guides and no-obligation consultations. Online options like eFuneral can be a convenient and accessible way for the sandwich generation to access prearrangement options and begin researching. Host workshops at your funeral home or community centers to guide families through the process.
The sandwich generation is navigating one of the most challenging periods of their lives. By understanding their struggles, you can show them how planning ahead can help ease future financial and emotional burdens and give them the peace of mind they need.
