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The COVID-19 pandemic complicated efforts to deliver interventions to marginalized populations at risk of contracting COVID-19. Grandfamilies are one such group. GRANDcares Plus (GC+) is an intervention designed to help grandfamilies build resilience. It was scheduled to launch shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began and consequently was heavily influenced by the pandemic. This paper discusses responses and adaptations made in implementing GC+ during the pandemic. Primary information sources included facilitators, COVID-19 information outlets, grandfamilies, and the project site coordinator. As a result, adaptations were made to facilitator training, CDC guidelines/recommendations were employed, potential participants needs and concerns were considered, and additional strategies were incorporated to support grandfamilies. This knowledge translational article contributes to social work by providing insights into identifying, managing, and responding to unexpected challenges. Given the increasing occurrences of unanticipated crises, it is crucial to develop and maintain effective tools for sustainable deliveries of services during difficult times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of custodial grandparents are raising grandchildren, and intensive childcare is stressful with many negative personal, interpersonal, economic, and health implications. Grandparents' strengths, including resilience, positive caregiving appraisal, and social support should be considered in the face of parenting stress and adversity. Guided by the stress and resilience model, the current study investigated the associations of parenting stress and coping resources with life satisfaction and mental wellness among custodial grandparents (N = 76). Data were collected between December 2020 and April 2021, through collaborations with community-based agencies located in two metropolitan areas, which provide supportive services to custodial grandparents and their families. Findings showed that more parenting stress was associated with less life satisfaction and worse mental health, and that stress management boosted life satisfaction and mental wellness. Grandparents with more informal social support and social service utilization fared better than their counterparts with less social support and no experience of service use. The results of this study suggest that social work interventions should focus on improving stress management to cope with daily and caregiving stressors. Social workers can help with informal social support and formal social services utilization to address caregiving needs among custodial grandparents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older grandparents raising adolescent grandchildren are a hidden caregiving population. Religion serves as a protective factor for many older adult caregivers. The caregiving and religion literature often excludes exploration of caregivers' satisfaction with social support provided by faith-based communities. Nineteen older grandparents raising adolescent grandchildren participated in in-depth qualitative interviews regarding the lived experiences of their social support and satisfaction woth faith-based communities. Research questions were: (1) describe, if any, what types of support you receive from church or religious groups? and (2) how satisfied are you with the support from church or religious groups? The diverse sample of grandparents were White (n = 10), Black/African American (n = 7), Native American (n = 1), and Filipino (n = 1). Respondents were primarily married (58%), white/nonHispanic (53%), grandmothers (84%), with some college education or college graduate (79%). Older grandparent caregivers identified key people, situational circumstances, and tangible goods that enhanced their wellbeing and posed opportunities for more support. Five themes characterizing social support and satisfaction with older grandparent caregivers' perspectives of their faith-based communities were emotional support, activities and resources, stopped attending church, attended church but did not seek support, and mixed satisfaction with religious support. Implications are presented for social work education and social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding grandparents' lived experiences and healthy aging is essential to designing efficient, effective, and safe services to support a family structure in which grandparents care for their grandchildren. However, no study to date has explored this concept in an Arab and Muslim country during a pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine grandparents' experiences raising their grandchildren to provide recommendations for needed mental health interventions during and after COVID-19. We used a phenomenological approach to gain a detailed and in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of 15 grandparents caring for their grandchildren. This study shows the need for support service interventions (support groups, health professional support, and respite care) for grandparents in Saudi Arabia, especially during global crises like COVID-19, that enhance social distance and social isolation. Raising grandchildren affects the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of the grandparents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the experience of grandparents providing regular childcare to their young grandchildren in China. Due to unique cultural and social factors, regular childcare provided by grandparents is becoming increasingly common in China. Unfortunately, published research on this topic does not provide a sufficient understanding of the experiences of grandparents who provide the regular care and the impact this has on their life. A qualitative, cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban village setting in Changsha China, where participants (N = 11) were recruited using purposive sampling. Data were collected between April 2019 and June 2019 and thematically analyzed using a seven-step modified procedure established by Colaizzi. Three key themes were identified: (1) Dominant factors motivating grandparenting; (2) Sweet burden of grandparenting; and, (3) Unmet needs. Study findings showed that while the Chinese grandparents perceived value and benefits to providing regular childcare, there are also significant challenges that need to be addressed. Interventions at a household and community level can be implemented to improve their childcare role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black or White is a modern-day film that presents an unconventional family dynamic between a biracial elementary-aged girl and her Black and White grandparents. The film portrays social and relational issues such as racial inequality, discrimination, and disparities while introducing interracial grandparenting roles and their associated challenges. This film review serves to first summarize major highlights of the film's plot, followed by exploring the film's cinematographic quality, its relevance to Social Work and social welfare, and ways in which the film can be used as a teaching tool for Social Work students. This review also includes discussion of Black or White's strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to considerations instructors should have before utilizing the film in a college classroom setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little research about trauma, financial stress, and social service needs emanating from the experience of parenting grandchildren caused by the opioid crisis in the United States. We conducted a qualitative study with 15 grandparents who currently or in the past had custodial care of their grandchildren. We also interviewed nine issue-related stakeholders in Eastern Massachusetts. Specific inquiries centered on events leading up to a change in guardianship, stressors related to legal, financial, and family issues, and system-wide response to the grandparents' needs. Results indicate that the opioid crisis presents distinct challenges for the grandparent-led families and for the systems that serve the new family arrangement. Crisis triggers a change in guardianship and continues throughout the years. The continued crises stem from events related to the parent's opioid use disorder (OUD) and from expenses related to raising a young family, especially when the grandchild has adverse childhood experiences. Our analysis shows that systems break down on a number of levels, and the fluidity of custodial arrangements due to parents' OUD status does not map onto existing support or benefit systems. Policy responses must focus on the immediate and long-term needs of grandparent caretakers, especially since the opioid crisis is likely to continue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study implements photovoice methodology with unexpected caregivers to illuminate the lived experiences of female grandparents and relative caregivers who are raising young children in the later stages of their life. As they enter older adulthood, grandmothers are increasingly finding themselves taking care of their children's children for various reasons, including, but not limited to, their adult child's incarceration, mental health issues, drug and alcohol addiction, or child abuse or neglect. Informed by various feminist theoretical lenses, we use photovoice methodology to highlight the narratives of resilience and explore the ways in which grandmothers re-conceptualize their roles and identity as an unexpected caregiver and the sources of strength and resilience that inform the ways in which they navigate the various circumstances in their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study examined the housing needs of grandparent caregivers and the youth in their care in New York State. Nine focus groups were conducted separately with grandparent caregivers (n = 46) and youth (n = 34), and interviews were conducted with key informants (n = 17) knowledgeable about housing and issues. Housing needs of greatest priority, contextual differences, and potential barriers to securing housing and social services were identified. Key themes indicated that housing challenges stem from four problem domains: the experience of poverty, which creates affordability challenges that trap grandparent caregivers and their grandchildren in unsuitable homes and unsafe neighborhoods; physical challenges of aging grandparents, which require specific housing accommodations; changes in family composition when taking in grandchildren, which necessitate moving out of prior accommodations or changing housing plans due to regulatory issues; and obstacles to obtaining needed benefits, including a lack of information, burdensome application processes, ineligibility, and a shortage of resources. These issues are discussed with implications for policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the processes, motivations, and reasons for Aboriginal grandmothers assuming the full-time caregiving role for their grandchildren. Fifteen Haudenosaunee grandmothers who were from the Six Nations community participated in this study. The results indicate that a series of complex factors, circumstances, and processes contributed to them caring for their grandchildren. Of particular significance is that, prior to assuming their full-time caregiving roles, they had intermittently cared for their grandchildren as a means of preventing family breakdown. Many of them were accustomed to this type of care arrangement as over half of the grandmothers had been cared for by their grandmothers or great-mothers. Ultimately, they cared for their grandchildren as a means of “keeping the state’s hands off” their grandchildren and avoiding child welfare involvement. Furthermore, the women in this study served as important vital roles for healing in Aboriginal families and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a research project in Toronto, Canada, this article highlights the strengths and resiliency of 12 female Aboriginal Elders and seniors as they age together. For these women, being actively involved in their families and the Aboriginal community gives them a solid grounding in who they are, what their roles are and how they contribute to the whole. Of particular significance is the support and friendship the women offer each other through their commonalities, activities, and sense of humor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most in-depth studies of grandparents raising grandchildren use samples recruited from service providers, so little is known about those who do not use formal services. A sample of 200 grandparents registered with a public school district completed a survey on service use and unmet service needs. Of the 131 who did not use services, 82 reported unmet service needs, and 49 reported no needs. Those with unmet needs were younger, more likely to be Native Hawaiian, and less likely to receive public assistance. These findings indicate that some grandparents are falling through the cracks of the service provision network. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examined the family well-being concerns of grandparents in skipped-generation families. Co-resident grandparents who are responsible for raising their grandchildren completed surveys, focus groups, or individual interviews. Service providers to skipped-generation families also participated in individual interviews to provide an additional perspective to grandparents' concerns. Results indicated 5 levels of concerns: intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational or institutional, policy, and societal. Concerns at different levels were interrelated and pointed to the need for multilevel interventions to help these families. Implications of the findings for future interventions with skipped-generation families are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, we examine the different licensing and payment policies in the United States for kinship foster care and assess the potential impact of licensing policies on the likelihood that grandparents or other kin will become licensed as formal kinship foster care providers. With this information, discussion is presented that outlines possible barriers to formalized foster kinship care placement and identifies the need for changes in public policy that could lead to increased program access for kinship foster caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although grandparent caregiving is not a new phenomenon in the United States, there has been a dramatic increase in grandparent- headed households in the last two decades. Many of these care providers are older and feel somewhat unprepared to raise a new generation of children. As a result, grandparent caregivers are at risk for multiple physical, mental, and emotional problems due to the stresses and strains of care provision. This article summarizes characteristics of grandparent caregivers in our society, the challenges that they face, and how organizations are attempting to assist these older adults with their care provision responsibilities. Recommendations for future research and intervention design will also be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to explore the current and developing grandparent caregiver housing programs throughout the United Slates. Telephone interviews were conducted with eight current and proposed sites for grandparent and/or relative caregivers throughout the United Slates. Housing design, funding sources, referral sources, service provided, and rules and regulations of the housing programs were discussed. Funding, education, and advocacy appeared crucial to helping these families provide safe homes for the children in their care. Recommendations are made for social workers and grandparent caregivers to lobby legislators for increases in funding for programs nationwide to ensure all grandparent families have safe, affordable and accessible housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grandparents in kinship care represent an expanding population of older adults assuming primary parenting responsibilities for their grandchildren at a time when many grandparents may also be experiencing developmental changes accompanying their own aging process. Research documents a lack of social workers prepared to respond to the needs of an aging population in general, and grandparents in kinship care in particular, as curricular content on this population has been limited in undergraduate and graduate social work programs. This article describes an infusion model proposed for an undergraduate social work program's GeroRich Project designed to introduce content on an aging population in four foundation courses to expand students' knowledge of older adults and grandparents as kinship care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research on grandparent caregivers has focused on stress, depression, and other negative outcomes. This paper describes research on factors that are associated with grandparents' positive well-being. In particular, it investigated the extent to which the perception of grandparental stress and grandparents' resources are associated with grandparents' well-being, after controlling for sociodemographic and health factors. A sample of 129 grandparents had individual interviews. Using a hierarchical block multiple regression analysis, the authors found that a low perception of stress related to caring for grandchildren and resources were responsible for a high level of well- being. The findings of this study suggest that social workers can best help grandparent caregivers by lowering their perception of stress and enhancing their informal supports and community resources. This can be incorporated into supportive, strengths-based individual or family counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the characteristics and needs of Asian-American grandparent caregivers. This population has been ignored in the past by social services providers and researchers in New York City. For this study, one hundred and one Chinese-American and Korean-American grandparents were recruited with the help of various organizations. The results suggest that most Asian-American grandparents are extensive caregivers who provide a significant proportion of their grandchildren's day care while the parents are at work, without having legal guardianship or primary care-giving responsibility. It also appears that major difficulties and needs of Asian-American grandparent caregivers may be different from those of non-Hispanic whites, African-Americans and Hispanics since the groups are different in terms of immigration history, acculturation and their status as grandparent caregivers. Surprisingly, and contrary to widespread perception, Asian- American grandparent caregivers want access to services that are appropriate to their needs. Implications of the results for practice and research include the need for service extension for Asian-American grandparent extensive caregivers, implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate services and programs, education of social work practitioners and program planners and further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimates are that one in ten grandparents will take on the role of primary carer to a grandchild for at least six months before the child is age 18, including a child with a developmental delay or disability. This article reviews the current literature on grandparent caregiving with particular attention to African-American grandmother carers and discusses stressors and reports of elevated symptoms of depression among them. The demographics of a sample of 145 African-American grandmothers of children with a developmental disability are reported here as well as the result of a logistic regression analysis of a model of predictors of elevated (above a score of 16 on the CES-D) symptoms of depression. Being younger than age 60, not working outside of the home, not being married, and having no further than secondary school education, were all found to be significant predictors of elevated symptoms of depression in this sample of African-American grandmothers. Interventions for this group of carers must take into account their potential for depression and health problems, economic circumstances, and lack of knowledge of financial and other assistive resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of social support from grandparents on the well-being of mothers of persons with intellectual disabilities. Also, it described the social support functions served by the grandparents across the lifespan and the predictors of this support. The subjects included 120 mothers of a child with moderate to profound intellectual disability living in the family homes. Surveys and interviews conducted in home asked about characteristics of the child (age, level of intellectual disability, physical health, maladaptive behavior) and mother (age, minority status, and socio-economic status); support received other than from grandparents (unmet needs, other informal supports) and grandparent support (instrumental and emotional), and maternal depression. The key variables predicting maternal depression were the mother's younger age and poorer physical health and less emotional support from the grandparents. Grandparents of younger children provided more instrumental support than did grandparents of adult children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared two groups of grandparents, those who were raising grandchildren with a developmental disability, and those raising grandchildren without a developmental disability. Service use, depressive symptoms among grandparents and the impact of welfare reform are considered among other variables. Recommendations are made for the various service systems which impact upon these families. Issues for future research are also identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinship foster care programs are designed to address the needs of relatives, usually grandparents, who have taken in children who have been removed from their homes voluntarily, or following a substantiated report of neglect and/or abuse. The author reviews the history of kinship foster care nationally and examines related research. Reported are findings on a survey of kinship foster care programs nationwide and from qualitative interviews with nine grandmothers from New York City who were kinship/foster care providers. Particular attention was paid in these surveys to the impact of kinship foster care on families caring for children with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an informal data capture technique, 164 grandparents caring for 208 children with developmental delay or diagnosed disabilities were surveyed in New York City to determine their health status, emotional state, use of formal and informal services, and general life situation. The vast majority of grandparents were female (96%) and African-American (80%). Their ages ranged from 40 to 82. Generally they had cared for at least one grandchild for an average of seven years. The data showed that for these grandparents (1) caregiving was an all-consuming role, (2) their lives were fraught with uncertainty and they could not access sufficient formal and informal supports, and (3) they were constantly worried about the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A demonstration project was undertaken in two of New York City's five boroughs using an intervention model to assess how a three-prong approach using outreach, provision of support groups, and case management could be used to aid grandparents acting as primary carers for children with developmental delay or disabilities. Three small community-based agencies participated in the demonstration. Several common themes were identified that warrant attention when working with older adults who assume later-age parenting roles: (1) recruitment, (2) pressing grandparent problems, (3) unresponsive service systems, (4) falling between the cracks, (5) mutual support, and (6) need for long-term planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, grandparents have increasingly been called upon to raise their children's children because of family disruption often due to parental abandonment, death, or incarceration. This can be stressful for the grandparents, who may not get the financial assistance received by traditional foster parents. This article presents data from a school-based comprehensive multi-generation program in East Harlem (New York City). It explores environmental stressors associated with children coming into kinship care, and the special developmental, behavioral and school problems they may present. The impact on the grandparent caregivers is discussed, focusing on health status and access to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines correlates of self-reported depressive symptoms among a sample of 74 urban Latino grandparent caregivers. Nearly half of grandparents in the study scored above the clinical threshold score on the Geriatric Depression Scale, and those rearing grandchildren with special needs reported significantly more depressive symptoms than those who were not. This differential level of depressive symptoms held even with the effects of other known risk and protective factors held constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the experiences of seven African-American HIV-affected grandmothers who participated in a qualitative study in Chicago, Illinois in 1996. Showcasing their stories highlights the existence and concerns of a population which is frequently over-looked. These respondents' attitudes about caregiving were mixed: they experienced it as a mixture of burden and honor. In the face of multiple stressors, these grandmothers demonstrated remarkable resilience, spirituality, and a commitment to kin. Even though the African-American grandmothers were heroic and dedicated, they may still need support from social service and health care systems. Grandparent caregiving in the HIV epidemic will likely increase, and practitioners and policy makers should be prepared to better address the needs of this growing population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 1.35 million children in the U.S. are being raised solely by their grandparents. A pilot program recently provided 41 grandfamilies with home- and community-based support services. Grandparents frequently requested and received help in locating assistance for child behavior issues, support/self-help groups, and recreational opportunities. The grandparents' relationships and feelings toward the biological parents appeared strained at best, with issues of anger, responsibility, child involvement and childrearing methods prevalent. The grandparents felt that they had done their best parenting their sons and daughters and did not think that raising them differently would have led to another outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the creation and functioning of a grandparent discussion/support group which met monthly for eight years at a suburban community college in Illinois. This group was formed in response to requests from grandparents and dealt with multigenerational issues. Descriptions of the meeting format and examples of the problems and solutions that were discussed are given. Conclusions and recommendations resulting from the experience of leading this group are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative and qualitative data were used to examine the policy/program needs raised in the stories of a purposive sample of 114 primarily white, middle-class grandparents who provide regular care to their grandchildren. Their needs echoed those raised by black grandparents: participation in their grandchild's medical care, the use of social service agencies because of providing regular care to a grandchild, experiences with lawyers because of their legal relationship with their grandchild, the use of child and respite care, and the use of support groups. Although the burden of providing care may be felt differentially by grandparents in different social positions, this is not a "black grandmother issue" but rather a grandparent as caregiver issue. A rethinking of policies and programs must transcend race with special attention paid to the distinction between custodial, living with, and day-care grandparenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The educational needs of grandparents have been overlooked. They deserve access to a curriculum that can help them adjust to their changing role and illustrates how to build satisfying family relationships. The nation's first educational program developed for grandparents is described in terms of underlying assumptions, measures to assess learning needs, elements of curriculum, and procedures for instruction. Fieldtest evidence regarding the effectiveness of this approach to strengthening families is presented along with implications for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the nature of life review, psychosocial development and grandparenthood. Author R. Butler states in his study that life review is a naturally occurring, universal mental process marked by the progressive return to consciousness of experiences, as well as the resurgence of unresolved conflicts. Healthy psychosocial development rests on the individual's vital involvement in the diversity of experiences, relationships, institutions, materials and ideas. H. Q. Kivnick has discussed five simultaneous dimensions of the meaning of grandparenthood which include centrality, valued elder, immortality through clan, reinvolvement with personal past, and indulgence.