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Grandparents raising Grandchildren – there are many programs and resources to help you on this journey

In today’s society, many grandparents are finding themselves in the sudden life-altering position of becoming the primary caregiver or guardian for their grandchildren. In many instances, grandparents will not have the benefit of time to prepare for their new role. Therefore, they are typically unaware of the range of benefits, supports, and services that are available to help them fulfill their caregiving role.

Grandparents may go through difficult times with raising their grandchildren as some of the issues involved in raising children may have changed since they were parents. When you are a parent for the first time you have nine months to prepare for it, but in the situations for grandparents it can be a sudden change without much notice of the new role.

Grandparents may find themselves in difficult legal situations that they have never had to deal with before. For example, when their own children were sick they took them to the doctor, now they may find themselves in the position that a simple doctor’s visit could entail needing to prove their legal right to their grandchild. In addition, grandparents may face their own health issues that they did not have when they were in their 20’s or 30’s raising their own children, or they may still be employed and need to find care for their grandchildren so that they can work. Grandparents need to ensure they become educated , find the help and supports they need in their new role, and find time for self-care.

BayPath offers a no-cost Family Caregiver Support Program that provides one-on-one guidance to help caregivers navigate this new journey. www.caregivingmetrowest.org, our award-winning website, offers detailed information, resources, and educational tools that will help you find the right support for you.  These services are also provided to grandparents or other non-parental relatives aged 55 or older caring for a child under the age of 18 or an adult with a disability aged 18-59.

When you reach out to BayPath’s Family Caregiver Support Program, Grandparents will be given an information resource packet and have the opportunity to work with a Caregiver Specialist to obtain the additional information and resources that they need to succeed in their role.

For more information, contact Caregiver Specialist Karen Trilligan at:

508-573-7239

ktrilligan@baypath.org