LOOKING forward to retirement and maybe a little more time on the golf course or even taking a cruise or two?

It seems that those reaching retirement might not be able to put their feet up quite as soon as they would have liked.

A new study has revealed that as we all live longer, a so-called “sandwich generation” has emerged; people who are finding themselves not only with childcare duties for their grandchildren, but also having to care for their own ageing parents.

According to care services company Helping Hands, the author of the report, 68 per cent of grandparents in Yorkshire and the Humber spend 2.5 days a week babysitting and carrying out errands or attending doctors’ appointments with their elderly mother or father.

Lindsey Edgehill, care services manager at Helping Hands, said: “Instead of enjoying the so-called ‘best years of your life’, people approaching retirement are under more pressure than ever.”

She said: “25 per cent of people identified guilt as the main reason for not considering alternative care and the reality is that taking all the responsibility yourself is not always the best option either for you or your loved ones.”

The survey highlights the pressures ageing Brits face with one-in-five of retired people suffering from ill health as a result.

Lynne Coombs, 62, who cares for her mother, Irene Rhodes, 90, as well as her granddaughter said: “My mum is unable to get out of a chair on her own and needs her shopping, washing and hair done – it’s non-stop. “I spend two days a week with her and travel to London once a week to take care of my granddaughter. I think I was happier at work than now I am retired.

“My husband who is also caring for his parents said to me just the other day that he can feel us drifting apart. My whole life is taken up caring for my family.”

It seems that the sandwich generation is being hit in the pocket too, with statistics showing that 24 per cent of those in the region, who support parents spend on average £169 a month, whilst one-in-three also provide grandchildren with approximately £134.