GRAND Magazine - Winter 2024 - 28

grand families
Grandfamilies have many strengths,
including resilience, which can mediate
the effects of trauma; family connections
and legacies; adaptability; and
the ability to co-parent with birth parents.
Research indicates that children
in grandfamilies do better than when
they are placed in non-relative foster
care, especially when the grandfamilies
have the services and support they need.
However, health services and systems
of support remain difficult to navigate
and access - if not impossible - due to
high costs, lack of availability of qualified
mental health providers, lack of culturally appropriate services,
stigma, ageism, and more.
Children and their grandfamily caregivers have many
layers of trauma and mental health challenges. Children
come to grandfamilies with past experiences of trauma,
such as parental substance use disorder and other
untreated mental health conditions, neglect, abuse, the
trauma of being separated from their parents, and more,
which can cause significant mental health concerns
even when they are safely living in a grandfamily home.
Children who have experienced trauma live with learning
difficulties, chronic health conditions, and mental health
conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder.
Grandfamily caregivers' mental health is highly
impacted when raising others' children, which directly
affects their physical health and general well-being. They
experience chronic stress not only from the everyday
stressors of child-rearing and difficulty navigating relationships
with the child's parents but also from housing
strains, financial pressures, social isolation, food insecurity,
lack of self-care, and other issues brought on by the
sudden responsibility of raising children.
28 GRAND WINTER 2023
Birth parents of children living in grandfamilies
often experience undiagnosed and
untreated mental and behavioral health
conditions. More than one in four adults
living with serious mental health problems
also has a substance use problem, and
substance use is a key reason that children
come into the care of relatives.
The pandemic, increased racial violence,
war, and other events in recent years have
added even more layers of stress and
trauma for grandfamilies.
Research shows that improved access
to mental health supports and concrete material
supports (such as financial, food and nutrition, housing,
etc.) improves mental health outcomes for children and
caregivers in grandfamilies. Here are some tips for accessing
support.
Tips for Grandfamilies
1. Explore employer-based support: More than
half of grandfamily caregivers are in the labor force, and
some employers offer support that can be helpful, such
as mental health support and treatment through health
insurance, Employee Assistance Programs, or employee
support groups.
2. Utilize school and community-based mental
health supports: School counselors and social workers
can often help provide support or point grandfamilies to
appropriate mental health services. Community-based
mental health programs can also be helpful.
3. Obtain accurate diagnoses for mental health
concerns: Accurate diagnoses for children and their
caregivers can help understand behaviors and get appropriate
treatment. In particular, understanding trauma is
critical.
4. Find a grand family support group: Connecting
with other grand families for support and understanding
is critical. In addition, support groups generally
include education about challenges and resources.
Find a support group or other local grandfamily support
program by clicking on the GRAND Fact Sheet for your
state, contacting the local Area Agency on Aging, or
inquiring at a child's school.
5. Tap into respite care: Grandfamily caregivers need
respite-a break from caregiving-to manage chronic
stress, take care of themselves, and " re-boot. " Even a few
hours can make a big difference. Respite care may be provided
through in-home care, center-based care, camps,
therapeutic recreation programs, Head Start, state-funded
pre-K, community centers, YMCA, afterschool programs,
or faith-based organizations. You can also search for a
grandfamily respite program through the ARCH Respite
network.
Learn more about the mental health concerns of
grandfamilies and resources to help the families in
Generations United's 2023 State of Grandfamilies' Report,
Building Resilience: Supporting Grandfamilies' Mental
Health and Wellness at gu.org and gksnetwork.org.
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.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine https://www.grandfamilies.org/State-Fact-Sheets http://www.eldercare.acl.gov/ https://archrespite.org/caregiver-resources/respitelocator/ https://archrespite.org/caregiver-resources/respitelocator/ https://www.gu.org/resources/building-resilience-grandfamilies-mental-health-and-wellness/ https://www.gu.org/resources/building-resilience-grandfamilies-mental-health-and-wellness/ http://www.gu.org http://www.gksnetwork.org 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 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 - Winter 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - Winter 2024