grandparents

Caregiving, When Everything Hurts

Posted on 08/16/2012 by | Volunteering | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | RelationshipsA week ago, I visited my Pop Pop for his 96th birthday. I brought a big sign with me, with dozens of messages from people all over the country — family in Indiana, friends in Mississippi, Twitter followers from Boston and D.C. and Kansas. Even Arthur, who I introduced in my first post here, got in on the surprise. “How ya doin, pal?” he wrote. I figured my grandfather, the best keeper-in-toucher I know, would get a kick out of …

Know the Signs of Child Sexual Abuse

Posted on 06/13/2012 by | Multigenerational & Family Issues | Comments

Home & Family | Relationships | Your Life  Sadly, child sexual abuse is in the news once again. In Pennsylvania, trial of former Penn State football coach, JerrySandusky, is underway. In New York, allegations of decades-old abuse at an elite private school have recently surfaced. The headlines are reminding us how vulnerable kids can be. We teach them to trust and revere the adult leaders in their lives – family members, coaches, teachers, babysitters, clergy and other leaders in our community. But sometimes these trusted adults are …

Growth in Grandfamilies Leads to Food Insecurity

Posted on 06/1/2012 by | Multigenerational & Family Issues | Comments

Home & Family | RelationshipsEditor’s note: This post originally appeared as an article in the May/June 2012 issue of Aging Today but has been edited for length. According to the U.S. Census, more than 2.5 million grandparents in America are householders responsible for grandchildren who live with them, and almost 20 percent are living in poverty. More than a third of these households have no parents present. A recent AARP survey found about one in 10 grandparents have grandchildren living in the home, and 43 percent …

Grandparent Bootcamp: Do You Need to Enlist?

Posted on 05/7/2012 by | Multigenerational & Family Issues | Comments

Home & Family | Relationships | Your LifeIn the 30 years I’ve talked with grandparents, there has been one common theme: “I’ve raised children myself. I don’t need to be told how to be a good grandparent!” In the past people tried to set up grandparenting classes, and for the most part they just haven’t panned out. Not enough interest. And yet, in recent years I’m hearing more about classes and workshops geared for expectant grandparents. It seems to be a growing trend … so what has …

More Grandkids Poisoned by Grandparents’ Medicine

Posted on 04/24/2012 by | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Home & Family | Personal HealthAccidental poisonings from medicine cause more emergency room visits for young children each year than do car accidents, and one big reason may be that grandparents often store their prescription drugs in places easy for their grandkids to reach, says a new national poll. The University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital recently polled parents and grandparents of children ages 1 to 5 about the presence of prescription meds in their homes and how the drugs were stored. The poll found …

Grandparents: 5 Ways to Deal With a Bully (or Bullied) Grandchild

Posted on 04/23/2012 by | Multigenerational & Family Issues | Comments

Home & Family | Relationships | Your LifeBullying has been in the news far too much lately. It’s heartbreaking, life-changing and all too often life-ending. What constitutes bullying and how prevalent is it? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2009 that 20 percent of high school students nationwide experienced bullying. The National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics reports 28 percent of students in grades 6–12 experienced bullying in 2008-09.  The federal government-run website, www.stopbullying.gov, defines bullying as: Bullying is unwanted, …

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