Summary
At the Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA), we see the need to address the problems that grandparents raising grandchildren face. In 2001, DAAA established the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren committee to start meeting the needs of grandparent caregivers in the community. Juanita Bridgewater has been chair of the committee for the past six years and the committee has increased the membership to 15 organizations (Adult Well Being Services, Bridging Communities - Bridging Generations, Catholic Social Services of Wayne County, Child Care Coordinating Council-4C, City of Detroit Senior Citizens Department, Detroit Area Agency on Aging, Detroit Public Library, Neighborhood Services Organization, Orchard Children Services, Southeastern Village, The Family Place, Wayne County Clerk's Office, Wayne County Department of Human Services, Wayne County Executive Office Community Outreach), presenting numerous events annually to strengthen the support group.
The reasons why this responsibility falls on the shoulders of responsible grandparents can be many. It could be because of divorce, unemployment, the physical or mental illness of the child's parents or the parents' drug or alcohol abuse. Sometimes it's because of the parents' abuse, neglect or abandonment of their children, the incarceration of the parents, the financial instability of the parents or family violence. And now, tragically, a high number of grandparents are outliving their children.See the full content of this document
Extract
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
There's nothing new about grandparents helping to raise and care for their grandchildren. In the past, several generations would live under one roof and the grandparents filled many roles, including full-time care when needed.
What is new, however, is that...See the full content of this document
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