WAUNAKEE, Wis. -- People are living longer than many imagined and many are becoming parents later in life, and that’s putting some Baby Boomers in a sandwich between their care-dependent parents and their children.

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The stress and emotions of having so much responsibility can be overwhelming, and many Baby Boomers said they feel like there is not enough of them to go around.

Cindy Morris and her brother Jim Young said they have their hands full caring for their 75-year-old dad's health, which means careful planning and having to prepare meals on time.

"Now we have to very careful that his blood sugars don't get too low. I have found him several times unconscious," Morris said.

Morris and Young are among the so-called "Sandwich Generation" -- Morris with responsibilities for a teenage daughter, and Young for a wife and two sons. At the same time, they said their father needs almost constant care.

"The fact that he's a brigadier general who is used to getting his own way, who knows how to get his own way. It can be challenging," Young said.

Barry Young is a decorated brigadier general with the Army National Guard and once served as deputy adjutant general. When his wife of 50 years died in 2002, Barry Young's health began to decline, and now his children are his caregivers.

"Suddenly that role reverses and it happened so quickly. It wasn't a gradual decline," Morris said.

Their roles include everything from making meals to giving their father insulin shots.

"We want to keep him with family. That's where he belongs," Morris said.

Dr. Dave Dowell, a psychiatrist with Dean Health, said the situation is becoming a common one for Baby Boomers.

"A quarter to a third of people may be experiencing that at this time. Over half of Baby Boomers are expected to be in that position at some point in the upcoming few years," Dowell said.

Dowell said that the biggest problems for so many Baby Boomers-turned-caregivers like Morris and Young are not caring for themselves and feeling guilt.

"Our expectations in our culture are that we spend more time with our kids, more time with our parents. Women are working longer hours. Men are working longer hours. There's not enough of us to go around," he said.

There wasn't enough of Morris to go around between her father and 13-year-old daughter Kelsey. The working mother said she was forced to leave her dad alone for part of the day.

"I was always wondering when I was at work, 'Is he OK? Has he fallen? Does he have a low blood sugar?' It was always there," Morris said.

The living arrangement took a toll on Kelsey, who watched her mom get stressed.

"There's just sometimes a lot of tension where she can get really frustrated with some things that happen and it affects me a lot," said Kelsey Morris.

"There was a discussion and it just seemed like a better fit to have him with us now," Young said.

The retired general now lives with his son. Young said he and his wife are adjusting, but that there is no talk of sending his dad to a care facility.

"You find a way to do it. Out of love or out of purpose or the end result of what you need to accomplish. You find a way but it's never easy," Young said. "He's my hero."

The brother and sister said they now choose to remember their father the way he was -- and is.

"Then you know this is what you need to do. He's your dad. He has taken care of you all these years and he deserves that," Morris said.

Dowell said that many Baby Boomers think it is selfish to put themselves first. But he said people have to make themselves No. 1 to make sure they have enough energy to care for so many others.

Dowell said that, for Boomers who are spread thin, it can be easy to lose track of when their children need them. Dowell said it's important to be a good listener and stay tuned to the kids.

Young said the experience has been good for his kids because they are learning the important value of spending time with older relatives.

Many Baby Boomers also face financial pressures when caring for their kids and their aging parents.

Financial planner Tom Haunty, a senior partner with North Star Resource Group, said that Boomers find their parents' savings depleted faster than they imagined because the cost of care, including drugs, is skyrocketing.

Haunty said Boomers should consider long-term care insurance on their parents and that they should be nosy and investigate their parents' financial picture.

"No. 1 is kind of getting an assessment of where mom and dad are at net-worth wise. Second is getting an assessment of how much per month they spend. Third is to test it by double or tripling the expenses and finding out when they would deplete," Haunty said.

Haunty said that if Boomers can't have that frank talk with their parents, they should consider a financial planner who can talk objectively and unemotionally about parents' financial affairs.

Note: This is the third in a weeklong series of stories. Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage. On Thursday, the series continues with a look at the role of women in the 1960s. Learn how they're leading the charge in the changing roles of both parent and business executive at 10 p.m. on WISC-TV.