P3.074: Rising to the Occasion: A Needs Assessment of Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren in West Virginia

Background: A significant number of grandparents are raising their grandchildren, particularly in rural Appalachia. Strengths of grandparent families have been noted including resilience and resourcefulness, however, there remains an ever-present need for more support. The purpose of this study was to assess the needs of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren in West Virginia (WV).

Methods: A needs assessment survey was distributed to grandparents throughout WV using flyers in clinics and by word of mouth. Participants’ demographic data and needs were analyzed. This study was approved by the local Institutional Review Board.

Results: A total of 11 responses were collected. Responses indicated that grandparents were caring for an average of one to two children. Most grandparents reported feeling knowledgeable of cardiopulmonary resuscitation indication and techniques. The majority of grandparents also felt knowledgeable about choking hazards, well child examinations, routine vaccinations, and safe sleep practices. Grandparents felt less knowledgeable about the risks of vaping and social media use. Most grandparents reported that the pediatrician is a main resource in the raising of their grandchildren, and others reported consulting school resources and the internet. No respondents reported participating in grandparent support groups. The most reported barriers to lack of accessing resources were lack of knowledge of available resources and lack of time to access available resources. Needing more knowledge about medical issues and the challenges to anticipate when raising their grandchildren were common themes in the grandparents’ responses to the query about information gaps when their parenting of their grandchildren commenced.

Conclusion: Although still in the early stages of data collection, preliminary results reveal several insights. Most notably, most grandparents reported that lack of knowledge of resources was the main barrier to attaining them. Thus far, none of the grandparents were utilizing grandparenting support groups for encouragement and assistance. However, many grandparents cited their pediatrician as a valuable resource, indicating that increasing awareness of resources available to grandparents serving as parents is a specific area that could be improved upon in a clinical and community setting. More inferences are expected as more data is collected.