|
Parenting for a
second time
Grant increases
help to grandparents raising kids
It’s a situation
with growing numbers. It’s now estimated that more
than 71,000 kids in the state of Minnesota are now
living under the primary care of a grandparent or
some older relative.
To meet the demand
of these increasing numbers, a new support network
is spreading out across the state to provide
assistance to grandparents – along with other
older, non-traditional parents – raising
"grandkin."
An offshoot of the
federal Family Caregiver Support Grants authorized
by the federal government in 1999, Minnesota will
receive $450,000 through the end of 2003 to fund new
programs to help meet the needs of older caregivers.
The Minnesota Board
on Aging (MBA) administered the grant distribution
and awarded the full amount to the Minnesota Kinship
Caregivers Association.
"Their model
really interested us because they want to take the
services statewide," said Krista Boston,
supervisor of MBA’s consumer information,
assistance and advocacy team. "They have
identified host agencies in all parts of the state
that will do the mentoring and one-on-one counseling
with grandparents facing this situation. We want to
get information to them as soon as possible.
Grandparents identified that information is their
primary need."
Host agencies have
been identified in each part of the state that
corresponds to an Area Agency on Aging. Through
those hosts, support groups and mentoring programs
will be set up to meet the needs of parenting
grandparents in that portion of the state. While
that is a major focus of the grant, there are other
aspects as well.
Grant money is
helping fund a research project being done by
Priscilla Gibson, a professor of social work at the
University of Minnesota. That research will then be
used to profile the demographics of older adults
filling that role and also determining the
challenges they face. Caregivers wanting to
participate in the study can call 612-624-3678 or
1-800-779-8636 to learn about the process.
Participants must be at least 60 years old and must
be caring for children under the age of 18. The
study includes an in-person interview. Those who
complete the interview receive a $20 Target gift
certificate.
Another facet of
the grant is that the manual Kinship Caregiving
Resources will be updated and actually broken down
into two manuals. One will focus on the legal and
financial aspects caregivers must consider when
involved in such a situation. The other manual will
address their social and emotional needs.
A Website is also
being developed. Located at www.mkca.org,
the site will have information and links to other
resources that meet the needs of kinship caregivers.
The site will also be accessible through the MBA’s
Website: www.mnaging.org.
The MBA has an
interest in this issue beyond ensuring good care for
kids, Boston said.
"I believe
these parents’ own well-being will be affected by
this parenting experience," she said.
"Ultimately, studies show that these
grandparents are impacted financially and
physically, and that’s going to affect their life
decisions. We want to know what kinds of support we
can give them early in the process to make it easier
so that they aren’t emotionally and financially
drained when it’s time to address their long-term
care needs."
|
