GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020 - 33

grandfamilies
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults
are being told to keep their distance from children,
and wave through windows or video call. This is not
possible for caregivers like the O'Learys who are
among over two million grandparents raising their
grandchildren, many of
whom are age 60 and at greater risk if exposed
to the virus.1 These grandparents spend their days
changing their grandchildren's diapers, helping with
virtual learning, and making meals. They

are the first line of defense for these children during
the pandemic, having stepped in when parents cannot
raise children.
Being a grandparent raising a grandchild is challenging in typical times. Grandfamilies face additional
and unique challenges that are distinct from parent-headed families. While some needs are similar,
kin caregivers lack an automatic legal relationship to
the child, and consequently may lack the ability to
access services and make caregiving plans for
the children in the event of their death. The
COVID-19 pandemic has heightened challenges and inequities for grandfamilies' across
the myriad systems like child welfare, aging,
and housing that impact them.
A new nationwide online survey of kin
caregivers conducted by the Grandfamilies
Outcomes Workgroup (GrOW), Generations
United and Collaborative Solutions revealed:
* 38% are unable to pay or worried about
paying mortgage or rent
* 43% fear leaving their home for food
* 32% get to food pick up sites after they
have run out of food
* 30% have no caregiving plan for the
children if the caregivers die or become
disabled
The survey revealed that over all sources
of support are less adequate since the
pandemic began, except for online support groups. In addition to these support
groups, pediatricians, caregivers' primary

33 GRAND

FALL 2020

care physicians, and robust kinship navigator programs that link caregivers and the children they raise
to services were among the most helpful formal supports to grandfamilies.
These findings and other data and stories about the
impact of COVID-19 on grandfamilies are highlighted
in Generations United's 2020 State of Grandfamilies
report released in September- Facing a Pandemic:
Grandfamilies Living Together During COVID-19 and
Thriving Beyond.

For information and resources to
help grandfamilies during the panpandemic, please click here.
here.

Ana Beltran is a special advisor, Generations United. She is an attorney who served
as the Director of the National Center on
Grandfamilies. As someone who was raised
in part by her grandmother, Ana has a personal commitment to the families.

Jaia Peterson Lent is Deputy Executive
Director of Generations United, a national
organization dedicated to improving lives.
Home to the National Center on Grandfamilies, Generations United is a leading
voice for issues affecting families headed
by grandparents or other relatives.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0994809700/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0994809700&linkId=c0cf2342749a51234e00421ef2df453e https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003B6QYSW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B003B6QYSW&linkId=74a78ba0a510c9871c2e38f745d59213 https://www.gu.org/facing-a-pandemic-grandfamilies-living-together-during-covid-19-and-thriving-beyond/ https://www.gu.org/facing-a-pandemic-grandfamilies-living-together-during-covid-19-and-thriving-beyond/ https://www.gu.org/facing-a-pandemic-grandfamilies-living-together-during-covid-19-and-thriving-beyond/ https://www.grandmagazine.com/2020/10/grandfamilies-fall-issue/ http://www.gu.org/ http://www.gu.org/ http://www.gu.org/ABOUTUS/OurMission.aspx http://www.gu.org/Portals/0/documents/14-National_Center_on_Grandfamilies_Overview.pdf http://www.gu.org/Portals/0/documents/14-National_Center_on_Grandfamilies_Overview.pdf

GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020