Caregiving
Grandparents as caregivers
Older people are not just recipients of care; they also provide care to younger generations. A growing number of individuals are becoming primary caregivers to grandchildren.
An estimated one in 10 grandparents raise a grandchild for at least six months or longer at some point in their lives. Grandparents often become surrogate parents as a result of divorce, crime, child abuse and neglect, the rise in single parent households, illness, or substance abuse among the middle generation. Grandparents need assistance with legal matters such as custody, guardianship, and health insurance (see Legal chapter). About 10 percent of the NFCSP funding is dedicated to providing support to grandparents raising grandchildren.
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services received a grant from the Brookdale Foundation to assist grandparents and other relatives who serve as parents. This grant established the KinCare Task Force to coordinate activities across state and community-based agencies and develop a collaborative statewide plan to identify and eliminate barriers between caregivers and the services they need.
The Task Force works with education agencies and other public and private organizations to help grandparents meet child care responsibilities--support that is especially critical to keep children out of the formal foster care system. The Task Force serves as a central source of information and assistance to caregivers through a consumer resource guide containing information about guardianship, legal medical power, insurance coverage, and other general support services.
The KinCare Listserv also provides a resource and online forum for professionals at the state and local level to share information and resources for these caregivers.
Updated: November 2, 2007
