Grandparents raising grandchildren in a US-Mexico border community

When parents are unwilling or unable to care for their children, more often than not, grandparents step up to assume this task. Although insights into the multifaceted and unique needs of custodial grandparents are emerging, there is little research on how these changes in living circumstances impact the lives of custodial grandparents and the grandchildren in their care. In this exploratory study, the authors examined the circumstances under which grandparents in a border community assumed custodial care of their grandchildren and the factors that contributed to their decision. Through semi-structured interviews with six grandparents and five grandchildren, they also explored how grandparents and grandchildren coped with transition, how grandparents understood and found meaning in their role as caregivers of their grandchildren, how grandchildren viewed their grandparents in their new role, and how their lives and relationships had changed.     

Grandparents communicating with grandchildren:fostering intergenerational understanding

With the onset of increased longevity, intergenerational relationships are ever more common. These transactions by which persons of different generations interact with one another, are multidimensional and play an important role in family strengths, resilience and solidarity. Using an intergenerational framework this paper explores grandparents' experiences with intergenerational relationships with their grandchildren and discusses strategies for fostering communication and understanding across generations. Feedback from older adults who attend three senior centers provide insight and suggestions for enriching intergenerational communication. doi:10.1300/J045v22n03_10.     

Grandparents raising grandchildren: a response to a nutrition and physical activity intervention

This pilot study explored the impact of an educational program on nutrition and physical activity knowledge of urban African-American grandparents raising their grandchildren. The program was integrated into a community-based intervention, Project Healthy Grandparents, and was implemented during the first 15 minutes of 10 grandparent support groups and parenting classes. Subjects included 22 grandparents who attended at least six sessions and completed pre- and posttests of nutrition and physical activity knowledge. Participants' posttest scores were significantly higher than their pretest scores (P<0.05), indicating an increase in knowledge. Eighteen grandparents provided insights about diet and physical activity and barriers to lifestyle changes during an audiotaped focus group. Based on analysis of the focus group's discussion, three major influences on healthful eating and physical activity emerged, including financial considerations, presence of grandchildren in the home, and preference for traditional cultural foods. Themes from the focus group were consistent with responses on the nutrition and physical activity knowledge test. Satisfaction with the program was very high and no specific recommendations for improvements were made. Results can guide future nutrition interventions for this target group and potentially contribute to grandparents' improved health and ability to care for their grandchildren.     

Grandparents raising grandchildren:kinship care in Baltimore public housing

Life circumstances and threatening ecologies disenfranchise families living in public housing development. Many are children who live with their grandparents in housing units, but are not on the lease. The grandparents and grandchildren experience health problems, are in poverty, and are not served by the child welfare system. Frequently, the children are forced to sleep in bedrooms with other individuals who may be inappropriate, subjecting them to potential sexual child abuse and other circumstances. Housing officials are compelled to remedy this problem and ensure that all residents of public housing are on the lease and are properly housed consistent with the U.S. Housing Act of 1932. National housing policy needs to be reformed to accommodate the needs of children who for a range of circumstances cannot live with their parents. doi:10.1300/J045v22n03_11.     

Grandparents of Children with Special Needs: Supports Especially for Grandparents

Although the impact of a handicapped child on parents is acknowledged by professionals, the experiences and needs of the child's grandparents are often overlooked Grandparents experience many of the same reactions as the child's parents, including stress, depression, grief, and uncertainty about the future However, grandparents have less access than parents to the information and supports that would help them adjust to their grandchild's handicap and to be of assistance to the family This article describes a model for workshops that address grandparents' information and peer support needs and written materials developed for grandparents and professionals.     

African American grandparents raising grandchildren: a national profile of demographic and health characteristics

Social workers are seeing, in health care settings, an increasing number of grandparent caregivers among their clients. A disproportionate number of these are African American. This article compares the demographic and physical and mental health characteristics of African American grandparents who are raising their grandchildren with non-caregiving African American grandparents, using the National Survey of Families and Households (1992-94). Caregivers reported significantly higher levels of limitations in four of five activities of daily living (ADL) and were almost twice as likely as their peers to report clinically relevant levels of depression.     

The health of grandparents raising grandchildren: results of a national study.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to compare the functional and self-rated health of grandparents raising grandchildren with that of noncaregiving grandparents. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from the 1992 to 1994 National Survey of Families and Households was conducted. Bivariate and logistic analyses compared 173 custodial and 3304 noncustodial grandparents in terms of functional health limitations, self-rated health, and satisfaction with health. RESULTS: Custodial grandparents were significantly more likely to have limitations in 4 of the 5 activities of daily living (ADLs) examined, with more than half reporting some limitation in 1 of the 5 ADLs. A logistic regression analysis indicated that caregiving grandparents had 50% higher odds of having an ADL limitation. Caregivers were significantly more likely to report lower satisfaction with health, and a statistical trend indicated that the caregivers had lower self-rated health. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to determine whether the differences observed reflect artifacts or actual differences in functional abilities and other health measures. The need for policies that support rather than penalize grandparents raising grandchildren is stressed.     

A home-based nutrition and physical activity intervention for grandparents raising grandchildren: a pilot study

Five African American grandparents raising their grandchildren participated in a home-based nutrition and physical activity intervention. The primary goals were to increase grandparents' knowledge and skills in selecting and preparing healthy foods and to increase the grandparents' and grandchildren's physical activity levels. Results revealed that grandparents' concerns regarding their chronic diseases and desire to prevent health problems in their grandchildren served as motivators. Following the intervention, grandparents scored higher on nutrition and physical activity knowledge and their self-efficacy improved, although most health status indicators remained unchanged. Self-reported changes included walking more, reading food labels, and switching to a healthier type of fat.     

Economic grand rounds: a forum for cost consciousness

This article analyzes the implementation of a traditional Economic Grand Rounds (EGR) program in a teaching hospital. The conclusions are that the original concepts of EGR--presentations of treatment costs by clinicians in a grand rounds setting, reinforcement of agreed changes in practice patterns, and subsequent evaluation and participation--are still valid but are inadequate to ensure a successful program. Other factors must be added if EGR is to attain its goals. These factors are administrative and nursing involvement, a provision to make policy changes, and incentives for the medical staff. This article also outlines areas of potential savings achieved through an EGR program in laboratory testing, preoperative laboratory testing, and intravenous therapy with antibiotics.     

Grandparents: an underestimated resource for children's health development

Grandparents often play an important role in family life, yet this is overlooked by both policy makers and professionals. Changing demographics, including an ageing population and more mothers in employment, mean that the grandparents' role as informal providers of child care is becoming increasingly important. Grandparents often have a unique relationship with teenagers and may act as confidants on issues the teenagers feel unable to talk about with their parents. Households headed by grandparents who have taken on the full-time role of caring for a grandchild because the parent is unable to fulfil it are a particularly disadvantaged group, and need greater support from services. In his 2009 annual report the Chief Medical Officer stated that grandparents are a major potentia asset for children's health and development, laying the foundations for a healthy future.     

Epidemiology and community health: a strained connection?

It is argued that currently prevailing concepts of the scientific status and appropriate mode of operation of epidemiology fall short of those required for the development of effective strategies to promote health in the everyday world. The need, at present unmet, exists for an experimentally meaningful and politically aware theory and method in health research and practice.     

Taking care of a dying grandparent: case studies of grandchildren in the hospice caregiver role

This study aims to provide insight into the role of grandchildren as informal hospice caregivers. It presents 4 cases that highlight the challenges and perceptions of grandchildren who care for a grandparent at the end of life. A researcher met regularly with family caregivers to discuss the problems or challenges during hospice caregiving. Although each caregiver presented unique individual experiences, several themes are common among the family caregivers including fatigue, stress, guilt, and loss of the "grandchild" identity. Grandchildren caregivers often take care of 3 generations (grandparents, parents, and children) and in many cases need additional assistance to help them overcome the challenges associated with managing a household, career, family, and caregiving roles.     

Grandparents Fostering Orphans: Influences of Protective Factors on Their Health and Well-Being

In this study the authors explore the impact of protective factors on the health and well-being of grandmothers who are primary caregivers. Although researchers in Africa have studied grandparents who assume primary caregiving responsibilities, it is rare that they do so from a strength perspective, hence the need to examine the utility of personal, social, and environmental assets on caregiving. Grandmothers are the primary caregivers of orphaned children due to HIV and AIDS deaths; thus it becomes pertinent to establish how they are coping without the provision of social security. The results of this study will be beneficial to all stakeholders interested in the welfare of elders with similar responsibilities. Knowledge about the health and well-being of grandmothers who are caregivers will assist public service and private sectors to formulate viable policies concerning elderly carers who foster orphans, particularly in countries with high HIV prevalence.     

Expressions of Generativity Through Family Leisure: Experiences of Grandparents and Adult Grandchildren

The purpose of this study was to understand the expression of generativity among grandparents and their adult grandchildren through their experiences of family leisure. Fourteen dyads of grandparents and adult grandchildren were interviewed about their experience of family leisure. The findings illustrate the important role that family leisure played in the experience and expression of generativity, evidenced by the reciprocal use of leisure in teaching, mentoring, and creating a family legacy among grandparents and adult grandchildren.