children

Caregiving, Recession Likely Behind 64% Rise in Children Living with Grandparent

Posted on 07/27/2011 by Amy Goyer | Multigenerational & Family Issues | Comments

RelationshipsThere are many different data sets we can look at regarding family living arrangements, multigenerational households and grandparents caregiving for grandchildren, but consistently they all show growth in recent years. The latest Census Bureau report on the topic once again confirms the increase in families bringing generations together. The U.S. Census Bureau recently released the report, Living Arrangements of Children: 2009, which indicated 7.8 million children live with at least one grandparent, more than double the 4.7 million children living …

Grandfamilies: Top Research Topics

Posted on 04/29/2011 by Amy Goyer | Multigenerational & Family Issues | Comments

RelationshipsI co-presented at a session, “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Preliminary Results of a National Survey on Research and Practice” here at the American Society on Aging’s “Aging in America” conference in San Francisco, along with Deb Whitley from GSU and Andrea Smith from WMU. We were so pleased that we had a good representation of the next generation of researchers and practitioners at our session – undergraduate and graduate students. They are the future. They are the people who will be taking …

Support for Grandparents

Posted on 04/29/2011 by Amy Goyer | Multigenerational & Family Issues | Comments

Relationships | Your LifeHere in San Francisco at the American Society on Aging annual conference, “Aging in America,” I co-led a peer group session around grandparenting today, along with my friend Donna Butts, the Executive Director of Generations United. The highlight for me was meeting new people and seeing old friends…and getting fired up by their enthusiasm. A few of my inspired colleagues shared what they were up to: Ed Martinez, from a San Diego Health Center told us about recently meeting several grandparents …

Want to Help Kids? Read This First

Posted on 02/3/2011 by John Briley | AARP Blog Author | Comments

VolunteeringI came across a fascinating blog post by Jayne Cravens, a consultant to mission-based non-profit groups and non-governmental organizations. Jayne writes about a new report that strongly discourages short-term volunteer trips (AKA voluntourism), especially those purported to help needy children. One piece of this, which I concede I’d never considered before, immediately reversed my (previously cheery) view about programs that bring volunteers abroad to work with children. To quote from the report: There are serious concerns about the impacts of …