The number of grandparents raising their grandchildren in Alabama has increased in recent years.
Nearly 160,000 children in Alabama live in homes where a relative is the head of the household, and about 59,000 grandparents are fully responsible for raising their grandchildren in Alabama, per data compiled by the nonprofit organization Grand Families.
Across the nation
Nationally, there are more than 2.5 million grandparents who carry the primary responsibility of caring for their grandchildren, with about a third of grandchildren living with their grandparents being under six years old.
Alabama Senior Services Commissioner Jean Brown noted some of the unique challenges older Alabamians can face when being responsible for a child, particularly in the modern world.
“More living space, bigger food and household budgets, becoming familiar with social media. … Imagine what a challenge that can be and all the mental health issues that presents,” Brown said last fall.
“My personal opinion is that these grandparents and family caregivers are saints; most of them never thought in their golden years they would be caring for young children and everything that entails.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written with reporting by Alabama Daily News. It is reprinted with permission.
Share with others: