Elder care and ‘sandwich generations’ in Muslim communities

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(RNS) — Recently, after dropping off our youngest son for his first year of college, we came back home and turned our attention back to a much-needed discussion we had been preparing to have with my husband’s parents, who live with us, about caregiving support and engaging in certain Muslim religious practices.

“Live with us” isn’t really the right way to describe our home. We are a multigenerational family who have all shared a home for most of my married life. And as with many families, the last 10 years or so has been a steady shift from co-living to increased elder caregiving coupled with caring for our children, one of whom is profoundly autistic.

Our living arrangement is one mirrored by millions of families across the United States. But a new report from the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (based on its 2025 American Muslim Poll ) points out that American Muslim families are the most likely to be part of the “sandwich generation,” a moniker for adults responsible for caring both for their own children and their aging parents.

While 1 in 4 Muslims care for an older…