Paper
Tuesday, November 6, 2007

699
This presentation is part of : Family Caregiving Models
"Its Supposed To Be My Time!": The Lived Experience of African-American Grandmothers Caring for their Grandchildren
Dana L. Carthron, BSN, RN, College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Learning Objective #1: Describe the psychosocial issues plaguing African American primary caregiving grandmothers.
Learning Objective #2: Identify some of the implications of the burden of caregiving on health policy concerns health, healthcare practices and healthcare decision making of these grandmothers.

Significance:  An increasing number of African American (AA) grandmothers are primary caregivers out of necessity. As of 2000, 52% of all AA grandparents living with their grandchildren identified themselves as the primary caregivers. They are more likely to live in poverty and in the South.

Purpose:  The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the lived experience of AA primary caregiving grandmothers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 grandmothers currently raising their grandchildren or great grandchildren. 

Methods:  Using an ethnographic method, qualitative interviews were conducted in their homes. Each interview was audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Accuracy was verified by the researcher. Content analysis and constant comparison was used to identify and classify data. Using a code book, the researcher individually coded each interview. A qualitative expert reviewed all coding decisions.

Results: Participant ages ranged from 47 to 73 living in an urban community.  Five overarching themes emerged: 1) ‘Role reversal’ reflected by “she (daughter) asked me where I’ve been…like she was my mother and she was taking care of my baby!”  2) ‘Loss of time for self’ identified by statements such as “I don’t have time to take care of me”.  3) ‘Being emotional’, identified by “I’m pissed off” and “I get so lonely”; 4) ‘Caregiving is a financial burden’ acknowledged by quotes such as “I can barely pay my bills” and, 5) ‘Devotion to grandchild’ identified by “I love my grandbabies!”

Discussion:  Despite financial burden and loss of time for self, all grandmothers were devoted to caring for their grandchildren. Additionally, the grandmothers in this study seldom discussed their own health.  Recognizing stressors associated with caregiving late in life, AA grandmothers’ health needs may be unrecognized or overlooked.  Further research is necessary to identify the effects of caregiver burden on their health, healthcare practices and healthcare decision making.