Grandparents have an awesome responsibility when it comes to the lives of their grandchildren. Whether you are an after-school caregiver or you have the primary parenting responsibilities, you are helping to shape your grandchild’s life. No matter how great or small your role may be, information is available to help you find solutions and cope with problems you may be facing. Support groups that can help may also be available in your area.
One of the most common concerns among grandparents caring for their grandchildren is added expenses. Between trying to buy clothes and supplies for school, paying for medical and dental services, and buying groceries to feed a growing child, your pocketbook may be stretched a little thin. Some help may be available through several state and federal programs: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) provides supplemental income to families with children under age 18; Medicaid is available to those who qualify for TANF; and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides for health insurance when a family does not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private health insurance. Several other programs are in place to help — to see if you qualify, go to the Your Texas Benefits site at www.yourtexasbenefits.com or call the Health and Human Services Commission at 2-1-1 from your home phone. You can also visit
www.hhsc.state.tx.us/about_hhsc/contact/contact.shtml for additional ways to contact the Health and Human Services Commission.
Equally as important as money is being an effective parent. For some grandparents rearing their grandchildren it may have been 20 or 30 years since the last time they helped with homework or had to discipline a child. These and other issues are important, not just for success of the child in school, but also for his or her success in life. You should learn how to set age-appropriate goals for your grandchild and then help him or her reach those goals through proper guidance and discipline. Talk to your local school counselor, seek advice from the child’s teacher on strategies to ensure success in school, and contact your county Extension agent in Family and Consumer Sciences for resources on parenting. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has many resources available on parenting issues at
fcs.tamu.edu/families.
Often, caring for someone else leads to neglect of oneself. Rearing a grandchild can be as time consuming as caring for an ill family member. You must remember caring for yourself will allow you to provide the best care possible for your grandchild. A support group is a wonderful outlet for the stress and frustrations of caregiving. Getting together with individuals who may be experiencing your same problems may provide you with helpful information and innovative ways of approaching problems. Also, the time away from your caregiving environment provides for stress relief. Support groups are not psychotherapy — just people who want to get together and share a common experience. The AARP maintains a support group database to search for a group in your area at www.aarp.org/relationships/friends-family/grandfacts-sheets. Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Caregiver Specialists are another resource in your area and may be reached by calling 1.800.252.9240.
Above all else, think of rearing your grandchild as a wonderful opportunity for yourself and a wonderful service to your grandchild. It may be hard, but the end results will be worth all the effort. For more information on this program and others, contact the Brazos County Extension office at 979.823.0129 or online at http://counties.agrilife.org.
by Andy Crocker, Extension Program Specialist II of Gerontology and Health, at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension