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Larger
Number
of
Grandparents
Taking
Care
of
Their
Grandchildren
March
22,
2001
-
An
estimated
7
percent
of
America's
grandparents
provide
extensive
caregiving
to
their
grandchildren,
including
more
than
20
percent
of
those
caring
for
the
pre-school
aged
children
of
working
parents,
according
to
a
study
published
in
the
April
2001
issue
of
The
Gerontologist.
The
study
by
Esme
Fuller-Thomson,
PhD,
of
the
University
of
Toronto
and
Meredith
Minkler,
DrPH,
of
the
University
of
California
at
Berkeley
was
based
on
the
analysis
of
3,260
grandparents
drawn
from
the
National
Survey
of
Families
and
Households.
The
study
looked
at
the
sample
group
by
comparing
extensive
caregivers
with
non
caregivers,
occasional
caregivers,
intermediate
caregivers
and
custodial
caregivers.
"The
fact
that
6.8
percent
of
the
grandparents
in
this
national
sample
were
currently
caring
for
a
grandchild
on
extensive
basis
suggests
that
one
out
of
every
15
American
grandparents
may
be
doing
the
equivalent
of
almost
a
full-time
job
in
terms
of
the
hours
devoted
to
this
activity,"
noted
Drs.
Fuller-Thomson
and
Minkler.
They
added
that
"the
denominator
here
includes
grandparents
who
may
be
very
elderly
or
ill,
and
those
who
are
geographically
at
a
considerable
distance
from
their
grandchildren."
When
the
researchers
looked
only
at
grandparents
who
had
provided
any
childcare
in
the
last
month,
close
to
15
percent
were
extensive
caregivers.
Another
24
percent
of
all
grandparents
provided
an
intermediate
level
of
care.
The
researchers
defined
extensive
caregivers
as
those
grandparents
who
provided
30
hours
of
child
care
in
an
average
week
or
cared
for
grandchildren
for
at
least
90
nights
per
year.
Intermediate
caregivers
provided
child
care
from
between
10
and
29
hours
a
week
or
had
their
grandchild
stay
overnight
for
7
to
89
nights.
Age
of
the
grandchild,
the
researchers
noted,
"clearly
played
an
important
role
in
influencing
the
likelihood
of
extensive
care
provision."
The
study
also
found
that
9
percent
of
all
Americans
with
grandchildren
under
5
were
providing
extensive
caregiving
to
a
grandchild
-
a
figure
that
is
considerable
higher
than
the
U.S.
Census
Bureau
estimate
of
5.4
percent
in
1993.
Although
most
grandparents
reported
that
they
were
quite
close
to
their
grandchildren,
Drs.
Fuller-Thomson
and
Minkler
pointed
out
that
additional
contact
made
for
closer
bonding
with
grandchildren.
Further
research
into
the
nature
and
nuances
of
such
closeness
may
provide
a
better
understanding
of
grandparent
and
grandchild
relationship.
"The
sheer
number
of
grandparents
providing
extensive
care
to
grandchildren
on
a
regular
basis
also
points
up
the
need
for
greater
attention
to
the
potential
health
and
social
needs
of
this
group,"
Dr.
Fuller-Thomson
said.
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