When Carolyn Strzyzkowski began caring more and more for her great-granddaughter, she realized she wasn’t equipped.
“I’m 78-years-old. I love this 1-year-old little girl, but it was a lot,” she told me in a recent phone interview.
Carolyn is among many who find themselves caring for a child they didn’t expect to.
She shared that while her granddaughter worked long 10-hour shifts four days in a row each week, she agreed to watch her great-granddaughter.
“I had a lot to do with our grandchildren, but I just didn’t expect to be helping raise a great-grandchild,” she said.
It was the Kinship Care program at Area Agency on Aging that offered support to Carolyn when she needed it most.
“It was just helpful to talk to some other people with similar responsibilities and how they’ve been able to handle it. It was helpful to listen to other people’s stories and share mine,” she said.
Meg Killips, who oversees the program, said it has served as a support group for kinship families as well as an opportunity to engage a variety of community organizations to give presentations and collaborate on resources.
“We want to support these families with whatever resources they might need,” Meg says. “These are military families, folks who are grieving a death, or those who just find themselves in new circumstances and need a little bit of help.”
Kinship Care has been known as Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in the past, but has expanded to serve this diverse group of caregivers. From aunts and uncles raising nieces and nephews to siblings raising siblings, Meg says, you’re not alone.
“When I had to travel to be with my daughter in the hospital some years ago now, my other daughter stayed with her grandparents,” she said. “This was tough on all of us, so I’m glad I can now support families in similar situations.”
Carolyn said she appreciated the speakers Meg was able to bring in last year on a variety of topics like back-to-school nutrition, no-cost preschool, conscious discipline, mental health/suicide prevention and more.
Meg says they listen to the needs of the caregivers and create programs around them, like cyber safety.
“Older people didn’t grow up with technology like kids have access to now. When they find themselves raising someone in this new digital age, that can be scary,” she said.
Carolyn said Meg always made the support groups feel like a welcoming space.
“One day I was the only one there and she really took some time to get to know me. I just really felt listened to and I really appreciated that,” she said.
While attendance can be inconsistent, Meg is hoping to change that in the new year by spreading awareness about this program far and wide. Carolyn said she heard about it from a poster up at a local senior center.
When I spoke to Carolyn just after Christmas, she said her caregiving role for her great-granddaughter is a much better balance now due to her granddaughter’s work hours changing.
“We’re happy we can still help and see the baby, but everyone is appreciative for the shorter shifts,” Carolyn said.
She says anyone who has found themselves raising someone else’s child, even if it’s just during the work week, should give the Kinship Care program a try.
Kinship Care Support Groups have already been scheduled through July. The next group will meet at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19. All programs will be held at the Campus for Creative Aging, 2920 Lakeview Ave., St. Joseph.
The rest of the scheduled events are:
1 p.m. Feb. 6
10 a.m. March 12
10 a.m. March 20
10 a.m. April 26
10 a.m. May 21
9 a.m. June 12
9 a.m. July 16
Anyone interested in attending can get more information or register by contacting Meg Killips at 269-983-7058 or megkillips@areaagencyonaging.org.
Caregiving can look a variety of ways, but if you find yourself caring for someone, help is available. Area Agency on Aging has a variety of resources to help traditional caregivers to older adults, care partners to people with dementia, Kinship families, and more.
Get connected by calling 800-654-2810 or by visiting www.areaagencyonaging.org.
Alexandra Newman is the communications and outreach coordinator for the Region IV Area Agency on Aging in Southwest Michigan. Interested in having an AAA representative speak to your group or organization? Email alexandranewman@areaagencyonaging.org. Questions on age or independence services? Call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-654-2810.
The Generations column appears each weekend in The Herald-Palladium.