IAA October 2006

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#990000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.gcchc.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gcchc.org"><U>Home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Calendar"><U>Calendar</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grant County Information"><U>Grant County Information</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Health Council"><U>Health Council</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Council Staff"><U>Council Staff</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Community Meetings "><U>Community Meetings </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id89.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="InterAgency Alliance"><U>InterAgency Alliance</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Highlights "><U>Highlights </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id453.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resource Directory 2007"><U>Resource Directory 2007</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>IAA October 2006</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Forum</B></div> <div> <B>“Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Grant County”</B></div> <div> <B>Hosted by Janie Turrietta, Border Area Mental Health</B></div> <div> <B>October 19, 2006</B></div> <bR> <div> Problem Statement:</div> <div> A U.S. Census study published in October 2003 (1) found that of the nearly 60 million people living in households, 3.6percent were households that included grandparents and grandchildren under 18.  The study further found that 42 percent of these grandparents were primary caregivers for their grandchildren.  Nationally, Hispanics were far more likely than most other ethnic groups to live in households with their grandchildren (8 percent compared to 3.6 percent for the population as a whole.  Only Pacific Islanders were more likely to live together with their grandchildren (10 percent).</div> <bR> <div>      While this appears to be a nationwide phenomenon, Grant County, New Mexico has rates for cohabiting and care-giving grandparents far above the national average and also higher than the rate for New Mexico as a whole.  In Grant County<B>, fully 18 percent of all households consist of grandparents living with grandchildren</B>-five times the national rate and slightly less than four times the New Mexico rate.  The percentage of these grandparents who are responsible for their grandchildren as primary caregivers is also far higher than the national and state averages.  <B>In Grant County 67.5 percent of grandparents living with their grandchildren are also responsible for them, compared to 42 percent nationally and 52.2 percent in the state as a whole.</B></div> <bR> <div>      This phenomenon has two primary effects on families.  First of all, it increases the stress on a generation that had already completed its childrearing role.  This stress is in addition to whatever traumatic family situation caused the grandparents to step into the direct parenting role in the first place.  Although some grandparents are quite youthful, others are entering an age in which fatigue and poor health can affect their ability to raise young children.  They also tend to be more isolated from family and peer support than are parents belonging to a younger generation.  The second effect stems from traditional attitudes about childrearing and education that are often out of sync with the changing demands of the 21<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >st</FONT> Century.</div> <bR> <div> <I>(1) Grandparents</I> Living With Grandchildren: 2000, Census 2000 Brief, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic and Statistics Administration, October 2003.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>GCIAA Forum Notes</B></div> <bR> <div> Why are Grandparents Raising their grandchildren in Grant County?</div> <div> A variety of reasons.  Most likely due to economics- Families break up and single parents may experience death / divorce, are in the military or may do drugs.</div> <bR> <div> Local Problems:</div> <div> Legal rights / custody issue - Grandparents often do not have custody and if they report their children's parenting shortcomings the children could be placed in foster care.  Especially Hispanic families prefer family care, even if it is substandard, over foster care</div> <div> Shame issues (their children may be on drugs etc…)</div> <div> Low attendance @ support groups</div> <div> Childcare problems</div> <div> Lack of awareness / info needed regarding services that are available</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Solutions:</div> <div> Las Cruces program - well attended (research what makes people show up)</div> <div> Empower Grandparents</div> <div> Legal Aid held successful workshops</div> <div> Provide local childcare so grandparents can  get jobs - They make the best employees</div> <div> Provide childcare at the Senior Center</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Ideas:</div> <div> Hold a grand parent Health Fair</div> <div> Add grandparent services to the existing Community Resource Directory</div> <div> Add grandparent services to the existing Therapists In Schools Resource Directory</div> <div> Hold a mental health in schools event offering one on one outreach</div> <div> Offer a section for grandparents at the Newman Fair</div> <div> Target school age</div> <div> Use Grant County Extension Office “food program” as point of contact during educational events on nutrition issues.</div> <div> Use kids to reach grandparents</div> <div> GUTS family night</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Follow up:</div> <div> Research the demographics of the grandparent group by using the following tools:  </div> <div> 1).  Heath Council Community Survey</div> <div> 2).  Obtain data from school counselors</div> <div> 3).  Obtain data from the Senior Services</div> <div> 4).  Explore the possibility of Liz Lilliott with SW doing the research as one of their projects.</div> <div> 5).  Approach the Senior Life Cycle to see if they would be interested in this project</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Assignments:  </div> <div> 1).  Mike Lavelle will survey the clergy through the ministerial alliance</div> <div> 2).  Alice will look for a researcher possibly a student from WNMU social work dept.</div> <div> 3).  The GCIAA will look at the acquired data and review this subject during a Spring Forum in  </div> <div>       March</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I>Michele</I></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>