Caring for a Sibling with Special Needs

They've been called the "club sandwich generation" – those who raise their children while taking care of aging parents while watching over a third generation. And sometimes that generation is your own generation – that of a brother or sister who has significant special needs.

 A recent Easter Seals Sibling Disability Study survey reported that while 80 percent of respondents expected to eventually be their sibling's primary caregiver, only 33 percent felt financially prepared to someday step into that role. It also noted that more than 65 million people – 29 percent of the population in the United States – provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or elderly family member or friend in any given year, logging an average of 20 hours a week. Much of that care, the survey noted, is for an adult brother or sister.