The 18 papers of this collection on grandparents who raise their grandchildren are grouped into the broad categories of theory, practical applications, and empirical studies. Individual topics include case studies, intervention research, support groups, cross-discipline approaches to establishing caregiving guidelines, the psychological adaptation of grandchildren, building parenting skills, and grandparent caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. The contributors teach psychology, social work, child development, and gerontology at universities in the US.

Grandparents have long played important roles in the lives of their adult children and their grandchildren in our own as well as in many other cultures. Yet it has only been in the last 3 or 4 decades that grandparents have received the kind of academic scrutiny that other family members--especially mothers--have been receiving a century or more. This groundbreaking collection has targeted the essence of what occurs in the context of grandparents' efforts at parenting their grandchildren as well as the nature of these interactions. Indeed, grandparent's views on the adequacy of their parenting skills and the nature of their relationships with their grandchildren are at the heart of many of the difficulties and satisfactions associated with the resumption of the parenting role in middle and later life, and are of central importance in the lives and well-being of both custodial grandparents and their grandchildren. The volume, which will be of vital interest to family counselors, mental health practitioners, educators, school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and social service providers, approaches this issue from novel theoretical perspectives, presents new empirical data, and provides valuable suggestions for therapists who are treating grandparent-grandchild dyads. It is methodologically diverse, relying upon case studies, empirical findings, and national datasets. Additionally, it incorporates longitudinal work, which has been absent in research with grandparent caregivers to date. Most importantly, it defines new areas of understanding of custodial grandparents that are relevant to both researchers and practitioners, e.g., dealing with grief and loss, a focus on grandchildren, the interactional style of caregiving, parenting education, intergenerational ambivalence, and therefore, should provide fertile ground for work regarding these issues which are so central to the lives of custodial grandparents and their grandchildren. Highlighted coverage includes: Intergenerational relationships/intergenerational transmission of values and their implications for parenting among custodial grandparents the adjustments custodial grandchildren must make in the school system, viewed from the perspective of school personnel (an assistant principal and school counselor) the experiences/perceptions of adult children raised by their grandparents- impact on relationships with grandparents and the parenting of their own children the role of the adult parent in the context of grandparents raising grandchildren Each of these chapters will be written from an applied, practitioner perspective and stress the clinical implications of each issue.

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Chapter 10 Noncaregiving Grandparent Peers' Perceptions of Custodial Grandparents: Extent of Life Disruption, Needs for Social Support, and Needs for Social and Mental Health Services -- About the Authors -- Index

The study of grandparents raising grandchildren, now almost two decades old, has tended to have a negative bias, emphasizing the difficulties such people face and the negative impact that grandparent caregiving has on them physically, socially, and emotionally. This edited book seeks to reverse this trend by taking a positive approach to understanding grandparent caregivers, focusing on their resilience and resourcefulness. This method reflects a strengths-based approach and the importance of benefit-finding and positive coping. Chapters feature information from both qualitative and quantitative studies and are written by a diverse range of professionals, such as counselors, psychologists, geriatric social workers, and nurse practitioners, to provide multidisciplinary persepctives for practitioners working with grandparent caregivers. Part one discusses the positive qualities that custodial grandparents possess - resilience, resourcefulness, and benefit finding. The second part considers the sociocultural aspects of resilience and resourcefulness in grandparent caregivers. Finally, part three presents strengths-based interventions for working with custodial grandparents. Practitioners will find this to be a valuable resource in their work and the field as a whole, stimulating positive changes in attitudes toward and practices with grandparent caregivers.

With today’s shifting demographics can arise tricky family issues—here are tips for therapists on how to steer clients through them. As the average lifespan increases, so does the number of living generations, a recipe for some potentially complex family issues. This book offers therapeutic strategies to navigate the unique dynamics and experiences of today’s aging families, from the “sandwich generation” and caregiver burdens to divorce, bereavement, and much more.

Examine the changing structure of the family as America’s population ages! As the United States’ economy evolves and manufacturing jobs disappear, the prospect of each generation experiencing a standard of living that exceeds that of their parents’ generation also disappears. Challenges of Aging on U.S. Families: Policy and Practice Implications explores this trend, presenting the latest original research on the changing roles of caregivers along with the economic and emotional effects on the family unit. Respected authorities discuss in detail long-term care and the standard of living of families, with a focus on the effects of changing family structures on families themselves and society at large. The coming boom in the population of the aging will impact families at several levels. Challenges of Aging on U.S. Families thoroughly examines the economic demands of aging on families, then focuses on different roles elderly family members are likely to play over the next several decades. Some of the issues explored include “skipped generation parenting” where children are raised in grandparent homes where neither parent is present, the impending economic impact of caregiving on families, the stress on families with fewer siblings to share the caregiving tasks, and the tendency for family members to live in different parts of the country and subsequently become unable to offer caregiver support. Detailed tables provide clarity of thought while comprehensive bibliographies offer further opportunity for study. Challenges of Aging on U.S. Families discusses: the economics of aging the implications of aging economics and emotional stress on the future of families the coming labor shortage of caregivers family-based intervention in residential long-term care shifting relationships between parents and their children caregivers self-esteem issues involving daughter caregivers paying family caregivers—as public policy a proposed policy of requiring adult children to care for their aging parents inheritance and intergenerational transmission of parental care the inherent psychological stress within skipped generation families Challenges of Aging on U.S. Families: Policy and Practice Implications is an eye-opening text for researchers, health professionals, social workers, counselors, caregivers, educators, and students.