When Bill White (not his real name) was the chief executive of a high-tech start up a couple of years ago, he usually spent 60 hours a week at work.

While his hectic schedule and long hours weren't too unusual for employees in his company, he also found himself running home every evening to care for his gravely ill father.

Dealing with the deteriorating health of his father and the financial trouble s of the company, which forced it to close at almost the same time that his father passed away, took a huge toll on his mental health.

Luckily, he was able to get away for a few months to recharge his batteries before returning to work refreshed and ready for another challenge.

Like many other Ottawa technology workers, Bill belonged to the "sandwich generation," but membership in the group has nothing to do with bringing your lunch to work. They are mid-career workers enduring a stressful work environment before rushing home to care for elderly parents.

"It's too much for most people to cope with and people need to think about how they are going to balance their lives and how much they are willing to do," said Gillian Gailey, the executive director Aphasia Centre of Ottawa.

"People have to be aware of the effects of high stress - they often hold in all their concerns about how long they can manage in the situation."

Ms. Gailey's centre helps families deal with the aftermath of stroke, especially in situations where the victim has physical difficulties following the medical crisis.

With illnesses such as stroke happening at younger ages, many of the people affected by this kind of double stress are dealing with it in the midst of their careers.

"We used to think stroke was something that happened to older people and certainly 15 years ago the average age of the people I was seeing was 68 or 70. Now, well over half are less than 60 years of age and this is a trend that many are noticing," Ms Gailey said.

Work-Life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium, a 2001 study of 31,571 Canadian employees at medium- and large-sized public and private sector organizations, found that 56 per cent of the respondents had dependent care responsibilities and spent one or more hours weekly in either child care or elder care. The average age of the respondents was about 43 years old.

Published in 2003, the report was prepared by Linda Duxbury, a professor at Carleton University's Sprott School of Business, and Chris Higgins, a professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

About 60 per cent of respondents reported some kind of elder care responsibilities while almost one in six reported both child care and elder care demands. These figures correspond to Statistics Canada numbers for the sandwich generation.

The study found that workers looking after disabled or elderly dependents, or children with disabilities, risk what's called "caregiver strain. "

"Caregiver strain has been found to be significantly related to psychological distress and the health of the caregiver, " the study found.

"Research has linked high levels of caregiver strain to increased levels of depression, anxiety, fatigue, anger, family conflict, guilt, self-blame, emotional strain and sleep loss. It has also been linked to financial problems, psychosomatic disorders, health problems and feelings of isolation. "

There are four types of caregiver strain that results from stress: emotional (depression, anxiety, exhaustion), physical, financial, and family. The Duxbury/Higgens study measured strain and burden associated with elder care only.

Part of the problem for technology workers is the almost constant pressure to keep skills current and many studies show that while the sandwich generation fights to find a work-life balance, career development programs available within high tech organizations do not meet the needs of many employees in this group.

Because their knowledge base becomes stale after a very short period of time, many feel constant stress of trying to keep up, especially with new people joining the company.

When there's no timeout for outside pursuits because there's more work to be done at home, the isolation felt on the job transfers itself to the home.

While many help programs focus on reducing stress once something has happened, there are things that can be done to help before the strain reaches a breaking point, Ms Gailey advises.

For example, exercise is not only important for maintaining physical well-being, but it also enhances mental health, a number of studies have shown.

"I know that I get into the same routine of working late, getting in the car, rush home and try to figure out what's for dinner and often I don't have time to savour the moments in life," she said.

"Even if you have increased stress in the workplace, having a warm and loving family to come home to where you feel safe and supported makes a big difference. That's why most of our work focuses on the family."

By Jeff Pappone

Special to the Ottawa Business Journal