Kincare Grandparents

a family is a family, no matter what

Tips to Help Grandparents Learn to Parent Again

Parenting, unarguably, is the toughest job in the world. When grandparents help raise or raise their grandchildren, it can be a challenge, to say the least.

A few benefits can have as far as parenting a second time around include experience. Although some schools of thought may have changed, parenting a small child or baby has not changed much. Grandparents, if they are lucky, may also be more financially secure and have more free time. Both of which can be a great advantage when raising a child. Grandparents who are retired or semi retired have (Read the article)

Fun Outdoor Games the Young and Old Will Enjoy

Over the centuries, many new outdoor games have been created. From football to golf many of these games have made it to the big league. The best games, however, are the ones you can play in your own back yard, with the whole family.

Frisbee is a great game for everyone, and with so many variations of the classic, it never gets old. Frisbee golf is fun for any age. Frisbee golf is played by trying to hit a designated target with a Frisbee. Attempts will be scored until either the last target is (Read the article)

How Can Grandparents Manage Stress When Raising Children?

There are more grandparents today that are raising children, for whatever reason. If it is the desire for grandparents to raise children again and it is a personal decision of theirs, then the stress is not as great.

If the grandparents are thrown into a situation where they really do not have a choice about raising children again, and have to do this to prevent the child from going into the foster system, then, the stress is greater.

Once grandparents are retired, their empty nest becomes appealing. They get set into a routine that allows for more freedom (Read the article)

Staying Young While Raising Your Grandkids

Raising children is hard enough when you’re young but when you’re tasked with raising kids again after retirement, it gets even harder. Here are a few of the simplest ways you can keep up with young ones again once you’ve hit your golden years
Exercise! You’ve been hearing it for years but the best way to stay young of body is to get out and exercise. Invest in a treadmill for the house or take the kids on daily walks around the neighborhood. Whatever you do get moving and move often.
Physical! Go (Read the article)

Kinship Navigator Programs offer helping hands

Unfortunately, despite the growing number of “grandfamilies” in the United States (more than 2.5 million grandparents are primarily responsible for a child), few people outside of those directly affected are educated about the challenges these families face. To combat this lack of awareness, some states have enacted kinship navigator programs to offer assistance and support to kinship caregivers. Currently, there are programs of some sort in New Jersey, Ohio, Washington, Connecticut, and New York. Other states don’t have statute-established programs, but still offer programs with similar functions.The purpose of a kinship navigator program is to educate grandparents on the benefits and services that are available, with follow-ups to ensure that the families receive as much continual support as possible. As many kinship caregivers have discovered, there are many legal issues involved with caring for a grandchild. These programs “navigate” the murky legal waters of the issue and help families access the health insurance and grants that they desperately need. (Read the article)

Differences the second time through

The phrase “If I could do it all again” is a common one among parents of grown children. Some wouldn’t change a thing, while others feel that their new experiences since then have given them a new perspective on parenting that would lead to new decisions. When a grandparent becomes responsible for raising their grandchild, differences occur regardless of intent, however.For one thing, grandparents must contend with their own aging while raising grandchildren. Many people age differently, and some will have the same energy they did 20 years ago, while others will face more difficulties. Either way, bringing a young child into the house can be exhausting for the best of grandparents. (Read the article)

The kinship caregiver’s required reading list

It can be difficult to grab time for reading when you’re a grandparent caring for a young child. However, we recommend making time while your grandchild is at school or childcare to check out these resources. All are written within the last 20 yearsthe research and support on kincare grandparents is a relatively new field.The Essential Grandparent: A Guide to Making a Difference by Dr. Lillian Carson (Health Communications, Inc., 1997) is a valuable resource for any grandparent that has or desires a close relationship with their grandchildren. However, it’s especially useful for grandparents caring for their grandchildren while trying to navigate their relationship with their adult child. If the parent is not able to care for the child himself or herself, it can create strains in the familial dynamic.Relatives Raising Children: An Overview of Kinship Care edited by Joseph Crumbley and Robert L. Little (Child Welfare League of America, 1997) is geared toward child welfare professionals, but its discussion of legal and clinical topics of interest to kinship caregivers (like legal rights and both sides’ feelings of anger or anxiety) makes it an important book for grandparents as well. (Read the article)

CHALLENGES faced by kinship caregivers

1. Legal – Grandparents may need legally recognized status as primary caregiver for school enrollment and/or medical consent.2. Financial -

  • Kincare Grandparents often have trouble with day-to-day living expense.
  • Many don’t know how to access benefits.
  • Middle income grandparents slip through the cracks

3. Health/medical