Grandparents of Disabled Grandchildren: Hopes, Fears, and Adaptation

Abstract

The impact of childhood disability on grandparents has been largely ignored. The author reviews the roles and meanings of grandparenthood, then explores the potential impact of a disabled grandchild on grandparents. Ways in which grandparents can contribute to stress in the family or be a source of emotional and instrumental support are discussed.

Grandparents of Children With Developmental Disabilities: Perceptions, Beliefs, and Involvement in Their Care

“…For their part, grandchildren offer their grandparents a new source of renewal and purpose in life and provide continuity of the family line and sense of immortality. People are becoming grandparents at a much younger age and continue in this role for longer periods than in the past Seligman, 1991) An exploratory study carried out by Nybo et al (1998) reported that 70% of people become grandparents in western society, with almost half under the age of 60. Grandparents also tend to be healthier, have living spouses, and are more affluent than grandparents in previous generations (Nybo et al, 1998;Smith, 1990).…”

“…However, when the grandchild has a developmental disability, there will be additional stresses on the family system. The response of the grandparents to their adult child, their sons-or daughters-in-law, their healthy grandchildren as well as the grandchild with the disability, will have a significant influence on family dynamics and adaptation (Seligman, 1991).…”

“…However, the birth of a grandchild with a disability may be devastating for the grandparents. They grieve for the child, the parents, and for themselves (Elkind, 1990;Prudhoe & Peters, 1995;Seligman, 1991;Seligman & Darling, 1997). Although there is growing research literature in family studies describing the experiences of grandparents, their roles and impact on the family system (Smith, 1995), there is a paucity of studies relating to grandparents of children with developmental disabilities.…”

“…Grandparenthood may be seen as a time of joy, a reliving and renewal of one's own parenting experiences, a source of new meaning and importance in life, and a continuation of the family line (Seligman, 1991). However, the birth of a grandchild with a disability may be devastating for the grandparents.…”

Practice style in the nursing home: dimensions for assessment and quality improvement

“…Lack of flexibility can result in helplessness for residents, which negatively impacts affect and functioning (Seligman, 1991;Schultz et al, 1994), and causes frustration in staff members when residents 'do not perform according to their expectations'. The domains of flexibility and examples of flexibility issues for staff are outlined in Table 3.…”