Care Connection for Aging Services is presenting a regular support group for grandparents and other relatives raising children. The program will take place at the Warsaw Senior Center/Harbor Village every other Monday and was scheduled to start on January 22, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.
The group is part of the Kinship Connection program to serve relatives raising children, and is a partnership between Care Connection for Aging Services and ParentLink of the University of Missouri.
The program will offer kinship caregiver credit for Missouri state licensure.
Each session will provide practical information that adults 55 and older can use in their daily role as a grandparent or relative raising a child.
Kinship Connection is more than just a job assignment for Tammy Wilkey, Care Connection Family Caregiver Specialist and a single grandmother raising three young grandchildren – a girl and two boys.
“It’s pretty rough sometimes,” said Wilkey. “In my situation, the boys have been through a lot. They don’t get to see their mother on a regular basis, and they do not understand why. That puts a lot of stress on the boys, and there are behavioral problems.”
The Kinship Connection Program is aimed at relatives who have the challenging task of caring for grandchildren younger than 18.
“I very much have struggled with finding the resources I needed,” said Wilkey, who has had guardianship of her grandchildren for three-plus years. “When I came to work at Care Connection, all these resources just fell into my lap. I think this information will be very helpful to other grandparents, if they just know the information exists.”
Participation is free, and walk-ins are welcome. To register, or for more information, call Tammy Wilkey at (660) 438-3300, ext. 3. or Lisa Lewis at (800) 748-7826, ext. 248. Wilkey and Lewis also are available for one-on-one support, information, and resources for kinship care.
