Globalisation is increasing and influences the families that emigrate as well as those that stay behind. In South Africa the left behind aged parents of adult children who emigrated experience a sense of helplessness as they feel that they have raised children who abandoned them when they relocated to other parts of the world due to push and pull factors. They also feel that they are missing the experiences of being part of their grandchildren’s lives. Emigration of adult children disrupts the normal functioning of the family for the emigrants as well as those left behind. The reciprocal caring becomes difficult and complicated. The aim of the study was to explore and describe reciprocal transnational caring as it was experienced by aged parents in a selected retirement village in South Africa and their emigrated children. Descriptive phenomenological research was done where scheduled interviews were used with informed consent to obtain data from the 23 selected participants in a retirement village and their emigrated children abroad. Interviews were carefully recorded and transcribed where after the gathered data was used to identify the essence and supporting constituents of the phenomenon. The essence and constituents were thoroughly described and a literature study was done of existing material to integrate the findings of the phenomenon. The findings revealed the essence as “We do love and care, but we can’t touch and hug”, and the supporting constituents: “We are as involved as we can”, “We live a dual life”, “The grandchildren outgrow the grandparents”, “Technology makes it much easier”, “They have a future as ‘world citizens’” and “Financially we are independent” were identified. / Dissertation (MCur)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Nursing Science / MCur / Unrestricted

Researchers have documented the increasing role of grandparents who provide care for their grandchildren; however, few have studied extended family reconciliation after grandparents assumed their primary care. This study explored the reconciliation experiences of 12 grandparents who were primary caretakers of their grandchildren. Using Moustakas's phenomenological research approach, the participants were interviewed about their experiences of the relationship triad (grandparent-grandchild, grandparent-adult child, parent-child). Attachment theory and family systems theory were the conceptual frameworks to explore the central research question, which addressed the meaning of extended family reconciliation for grandparents who become primary caregivers of grandchildren. Using NVivo, the interview data were coded and grouped into themes of shared meaning. The results revealed 4 distinct themes: watching my adult child struggle; recognizing challenges; my grandchild's wellbeing; and communicating with my grandchild. Further, the lived experience revealed that extended family reconciliation was largely dependent upon the adult child's willingness, readiness, and capability to participate in the reconciliation process. Results of this study have the potential to benefit children in their grandparents' care by providing insights into the reconciliation experience, with meaningful results to be shared with the professional community and grandparents who care for their grandchildren.

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This thesis is focused on the study of volunteering for seniors from the perspective of young volunteers. There is paid a significant attention in the theoretical and empirical parts to the motivations for involvement in volunteering. Obtained from respondents data imply benefits and complications described and grouped in the Research results part. Another area of research are relationships with volunteers' own grandparents; their influence on the decision to start volunteering and on the development of a relationship with the client. Key words Volunteering, youth, elderly, grandparents, motivations, benefits, complications

No description available.

This study proposed that the perceived quality of the custodial grandparent/grandchild relationship in step families will not be interrupted by the parental separation and remarriage and that the determinants of the quality of this relationship would be similar to that associated with the grandchild/grandparent relationship in intact families. The research by Shoire and Hayslip (1988) who studied grandparenting indicates that four variables are significant in this perceived relationship (in order of magnitude): kinship position (maternal versus paternal), grand parenting style, parent/grandparent bond, and influence the grandparent has on the grandchild. There same four variables were proposed to predict the perceived quality of the custodial grandparent/grandchild relationship in step families. Grandparenting style, as defined bu Shore and Hayslip (1988), is comprises of three variables, parentlike behaviors provided, services provided, and visitation patterns. To have a continuous rather than nominal value for grandparenting style and to determine which aspect of grandparenting style is most important, these three variables, parentlike behaviors, services, and visitation were used in place of grandparenting style. Therefore, this study proposed that the following variables would predict perceived quality of the custodial grandparent/grandchild relationship: kinship position,parentlike behaviors provided, services provided, visitation patterns, parent/grandparent bond, and influence the grandparent has on the grandchild. Second, this study proposed that while some variables that predict the perceived custodial stepgrandparent/stepgrandchild relationship would correspond to the variables that predict the perceived custodial grandparent/grandchild relationship, some different variables would be important in predicting the perceived quality of the custodial stepgrandchild/stepgrandparent relationship.

Grandfamilies, or families in which grandparents are raising their grandchildren, often form due to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) experienced by the grandchildren. ACEs have been linked to multiple negative short- and long-term behavioral and emotional consequences for children. Yet, having an ACE history does not guarantee negative outcomes, as protective factors such as positive relationships with a safe and caring adult, healthy family functioning, and utilization of formal services can mitigate the negative effects of ACEs. Researchers have regularly called on families to seek timely intervention and services for ACEs; however, many grandparents raising grandchildren report negative interactions with service providers as well as service delivery. Limited research has explored the extent to which grandfamilies with ACEs may have experienced similar interactions while seeking and using formal services. Guided by Andersen's (1995) Behavioral Model of Health Service Use, this qualitative study sought to explore (1) the service needs of grandchildren with an ACE history who are being raised by their grandparents; (2) the service needs of grandparents raising grandchildren with an ACE history; (3) the process of seeking services when grandparents raising a grandchild with an ACE history look for services for their grandchild; and (4) best practices for delivering services to grandfamilies with an ACE history. The research questions were primarily addressed through via interviewing 10 grandparents from Central Appalachia who were raising a grandchild with an ACE history and by conducting two focus groups of 8 to 12 formal service providers with experience working with grandparents raising grandchildren with an ACE history. Interview data were analyzed using grounded theory and focus group data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Study findings indicated that grandchildren have emotional and developmental needs. Grandparents described needs related to the emotional impact of raising a grandchild with an ACE history, family and parent involvement, and parenting a grandchild with an ACE history. Study results also highlighted how grandparents can expect to encounter barriers throughout the service seeking and delivery process. Study results also highlighted the critical nature of having a strong relationship with a service provider and the importance of a service provider reducing barriers, being attentive to grandfamily needs, and involving the grandparent in the treatment process. Finally, results from the focus groups revealed best practices such as providing grandparents with education on ACEs, being aware of intergenerational ACE cycles, and engaging in assessment and intervention when working with this population. Implications for clinical practice as well as directions for future research are discussed. / Doctor of Philosophy / Historically, grandparents have long been called upon to assist with caring for their grandchildren. In the last forty years, grandparents have increasingly shifted to a new role—that of parent. Grandfamilies are commonly created due to adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, which can include child abuse, child neglect, or household challenges such as parental substance abuse or parental incarceration. Experiencing ACEs does not guarantee negative outcomes in a child's life, but their presence and number can affect it, particularly when a child has experienced numerous ACEs. Professional services or treatment are one way to support these children. However, negative interactions with service providers or unfulfilled expectations with service delivery can dissuade grandparents from continuing services. This study sought to understand how grandparents raising a grandchild with an ACE history identify the grandchild's needs, come to the realization that their grandchild needs professional help, the process and experience of receiving that professional help, as well as what happened after the grandchild received professional services. After interviewing 10 grandparents raising a grandchild with an ACE history, study findings revealed how grandparents identify grandchild needs, and then manage those needs as well as grandchild behaviors. Study findings also illustrated a recursive relationship between grandparents managing grandchild needs and building a relationship of trust with the formal service provider once services have started. Building a relationship of trust with a formal service provider can then result in creating change or the grandparent deciding to end services. Finally, grandparent interview data revealed that throughout the entire process of service seeking, grandparents raising a grandchild with an ACE history commonly experience barriers hindering their access to services including personal, availability, and systemic barriers. Finally, the study sought to understand best practices for working with grandparents raising grandchildren with an ACE history, which include assessing for and creating interventions targeting ACEs, providing education on ACEs to grandparents, and being aware of intergenerational ACE cycles with these families. Strategies for clinical practice are also identified.

Yes / As the population ages, a key question is to how support older people who are in need of some form of care. This article highlights how older people may be embedded in multigenerational familial care networks. It explores the ways in which care and support for great-grandparents are worked out in multigenerational families, as well as between informal and formal sources of support. Methods involve qualitative life history interviews with five four-generation families. Findings suggest that care is worked out through a balance of care, need and support across generations. Depending on available resources, this produces a variety of support outcomes including: home based family care with and without supplemented professional help, sheltered accommodation with family care, institutional care as well as fluctuations between different support patterns. Supporting informal care networks through professional support can help multiple generations balance intergenerational relationships across the shifts between greater dependency and independence. / PhD Scholarship attached to the ESRC funded Timescapes study within the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds

Yes / To increase understanding of grandparental grief following the death of a grandchild from a life-limiting condition. Meta-ethnography. Academic Search Complete CINHAL, Embase, psycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science, supplemented by manual search strategies (in 2015, updated 2018). Studies were appraised and synthesized using the principles of meta-ethnography. Three superordinate themes were identified: 'influence of the relationship with their grandchild', 'influence of the relationship with the grandchild's family' and 'pain'. The simultaneous, multigenerational position of grandparents meant individuals experience emotional pain from witnessing the experience of family members. Many factors that contribute to the bereavement experience of grandparents are outside of their control. The roles, positions, and support needs of grandparents need to be acknowledged to better meet their needs as parents, grandparents, and individuals who have experienced a child death. / Hospice UK, RCN Foundation

Yes / Traditionally, family-focused care extends to parents and siblings of children with life-limiting conditions. Only a few studies have focused on the needs of grandparents, who play an important role in the families of children with illness and with life-limiting conditions, in particular. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used as the methodological framework for the study. Seven bereaved grandparents participated in this study. Semistructured, individual, face-to-face interviews were conducted. A number of contextual factors affected the experience of bereaved grandparents, including intergenerational bonds and perceived changes in role following the death of their grandchild. The primary motivation of grandparents stemmed from their role as a parent, not a grandparent. The breadth of pain experienced by grandparents was complicated by the multigenerational positions grandparents occupy within the family. Transition from before to after the death of a grandchild exacerbated the experience of pain. These findings about the unique footprint of grandparent grief suggest the development of family nursing practice to better understand and support grandparents during the illness of a grandchild, in addition to bereavement support.