Rural grandparenting through a family development lens: Implications for social work practice

Abstract

ABSTRACT The research explored the experiences of African American grandmothers residing in rural communities caring for their grandchildren, while suffering from chronic health issues. The research examined their health, physical functioning, wellbeing, social support, and resources of these grandmothers from a Family Development lens. Given the trends of providing care for a grandchild, it is widely recognised that caregivers may experience stress, burden, and the disruption of their well-being and social activities as well as the pressure associated with caregiving roles. The grandmothers reported challenges which included stressors such as health issues, financial difficulties, limited support, transportation difficulties, and disruption in social activities. This supports the body of scholarly findings from a national and international perspective in that these grandparents will need additional assistance in this caregiving role. However, a major finding in this study was that the grandmother’s health did not negatively impact their ability to care for their grandchildren.