Huron-Perth Boomers Winter 2023-24

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COMMUNITY by Jill Robertson Some key components to health and well-being for these families include connecting with others in the community, exercising and eating well, and taking time to rest. Speaking with a counsellor or mental health professional to navigate their experience is also essential for many grandparent caregivers to maintain their well-being. also grief or trauma support. This comes at a time when they are most likely experiencing their own grief or trauma. This can be a rewarding role but also a heavy burden. In order to meet the challenges of becoming a primary caregiver to grandchildren, support for these families is essential. “My advice to grandparents raising their grandchildren is to ask for help!” Adrienne said. “Doctors, dentists, teachers, and professionals who deal with children can all assist and offer help, and you can be guided through the transition. It is overwhelming to try to do it on your own. These kids have separation anxiety, anger, confusion, and a lot of issues they are dealing with, and they are going to need lots of support. So will you!” For grandparent caregivers, self-care is very important. Each family circumstance is different, but for many grandparent caregivers, their role is complicated by their own difficult emotions. It is essential that grandparent caregivers prioritize their own health and well-being to be the healthy, regulated, safe adults that their grandchildren need them to be. The old saying about ‘putting on your own oxygen mask first,’ before you can assist someone else is very much true in these situations, but this is often easier said than done. Finding a group of other families experiencing similar circumstances is a significant source of support for many grandparent-led families. Adrienne is a member of Rural Response for Healthy Children’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Peer Support Group, which serves Huron and Perth counties. Through her peer support group, Adrienne was connected to additional resources in the community. “We became part of the group to get information about what services, agencies and counseling are available for both us and for my grandchild. It turns out there are a lot of resources within our community, and we have been able to use many of these. The support of talking to other grandparents and listening to their stories is so important, and it makes you realize you are not alone and, although this is a fairly unique situation, there are many of us in it together.” Connecting with a group of families in similar circumstances is also beneficial for the grandchildren. It provides an opportunity to be together and socialize with other children who are also raised by their grandparents. Their unique family circumstances may make them feel different from a lot of their friends at school, but in a shared group the children are able to meet other families like theirs. Another benefit Adrienne has experienced through her peer support group is the opportunity to learn new ways to be a caregiver for her grandchild. “We are in a unique position of raising children for a second time, and times have changed. We needed 12 • HURONPERTHBOOMERS.COM
y Jill Robertson COMMUNITY to update ourselves with how to handle behaviours, how to motivate and bring confidence out in children, and how to cope with their specific issues effectively.” Grandparent caregiving is a challenging role that no grandparent hopes to find themselves. It is a circumstance that often occurs on the heels of a family tragedy and requires a great deal of personal sacrifice. It places enormous strain on grandparents, many of whom are unprepared for the financial and emotional toll of taking on a parenting role again. For many families, however, it is also a healing experience, and an opportunity to provide a safe and loving home for the next generation. This has been the case for Adrienne and her husband. “We feel so blessed to have her with us. Knowing we can provide excellent care, schooling, proper health care and all the comforts of a happy home brings us peace and great relief.” For more information about Rural Response for Healthy Children’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Peer Support Group, visit www.rrhc. on.ca/grandparentsraisinggrandchildren. Jill Robertson has a Master’s of Education from D’Youville College and has been a Parent Support Worker at Rural Response for Healthy Children since 2010. Through her work at RRHC, her focus has been on supporting and educating families, grandparents, and children in our community through programs such as Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Nobody’s Perfect Parenting Group, and Circle of Security. Jill also enjoys walking her dog, being active, creating new recipes in the kitchen, and spending time with her family. Learn how we make clean energy and medical isotopes at the Bruce Power Visitors’ Centre. Wonder. Explore. Discover. www.brucepower.com/visit 3394 BRUCE ROAD 20, NORTH OF TIVERTON, WEST OF HIGHWAY 21. T: (519) 361-7777 WINTER 2023/24 • 13
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Huron-Perth Boomers Winter 2023-24

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