PETALING JAYA: Caring for children and ageing parents while keeping the household budget afloat is a balancing act for many Malaysians in their 30s, 40s and beyond – and many are losing their balance.
According to the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK), which offers credit counselling and debt management services, this age group accounts for the largest share of its approved debt management programme (DMP) cases since the agency was set up in April 2006.
Financial responsibility for everything from household expenses and children’s education to supporting ageing parents can converge for this cohort.
“This can create a ‘sandwich generation’ effect, with people balancing the needs of younger and older family members alongside their own commitments,” the AKPK said.
Its data shows that individuals aged 30 to 39 account for 41% of approved DMP cases, followed by those aged 40 to 49 at 30%.
The Star spoke to several families who shared how rising costs and caregiving duties are squeezing their finances, and what form help from the government should take.
For Janet Chia, caring for her mother who has dementia while raising three children and running a food and beverage business has become a careful tightrope walk.
The 52-year-old from Puncak Jalil in Seri Kembangan, Selangor, said she first noticed changes in her mother’s behaviour about two years ago, when she began making unusual claims about money going missing.
Her mother was eventually diagnosed with dementia at a government hospital and now lives with Chia, requiring constant supervision, including at night when she becomes restless and behaves unpredictably.
Chia and her husband, an artist who works from home, hired a domestic helper about a year ago.
However, Chia said she still had to step in because the helper sometimes struggled to communicate with her mother.
She shares caregiving costs with her two siblings, including expenses for supplements, specialised food, and adult diapers.
“The most expensive, I think, are the supplements,” she said.
For educator Mimie Zerlina, 46, from Seremban, caring for both ageing parents while raising her children and working has made household budgeting increasingly important.
Although she and her husband have stable jobs, she said the rising prices of groceries, electricity, and petrol, alongside tuition fees and other educational expenses, had affected their monthly spending.
Middle-income families also need support despite not qualifying for many forms of government assistance, she said.
Mimie called for broader tax relief for children’s education and tuition fees, more affordable electricity tariffs, and targeted subsidies for essential expenses.
She also urged the government to consider the number of dependents and responsibility for ageing parents when determining eligibility for assistance.
A 48-year-old freelancer from Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam, who wants to be known only as KaySL, said unpredictable earnings have left little room for savings despite having a dual-income household.
He lives with his wife, two children, and father-in-law, and earns a living through wholesaling coffee beans to cafes, design work, event photography, and coaching volleyball as an assistant coach.
The economic slowdown and inflation over the past two to three years have affected his income, he said, while unexpected expenses – such as house repairs, car breakdowns and damaged work equipment – further strained the family budget.
“When our work laptop breaks, it hits us especially hard because it directly impacts our ability to earn an income,” he said.
KaySL said the family’s biggest expenses are his children’s extracurricular activities and food.
A meal outside could cost nearly RM100, prompting the family to cook at home and prepare packed meals for the children.
He considers extracurricular classes important for his children’s development and continues to prioritise them when the family can afford them.
He hopes for direct financial assistance, subsidies for children’s enrichment classes, and emergency grants tailored for freelancers with irregular incomes.
He said fuel subsidies were less useful to him because his work did not require a daily commute.
Some of the wants mentioned have been referenced in Budget 2027, such as expanded tax relief for caring for parents and grandparents, as well as broader relief for children’s education and tuition fees.
The government also announced a reduction in service tax on elderly care services from 8% to 6% from Jan 1.
