Grandparents caring for grandchildren because of the Opioid Epidemic don’t get to go hide. They don’t get time off to deal with the Carona virus Pandemic. Actually most of these brave folks are the most vulnerable to the pandemic. These Caring Grandparents find themselves in an already complicated and uninvited crisis.
The epidemic “is overwhelming many families and child welfare systems,” said Jaia Peterson Lent of Generations United, a Washington-based advocacy group cofounded by AARP, at a Special Committee on Aging hearing last March. “Suddenly [grandparents] are forced to navigate complex systems to help meet the … challenges of the children who come into their care, often after experiencing significant trauma.”
While things are moving slowly toward some support and help for this population of care givers it is certainly not enough.
If you know of anyone dealing with this crisis please reach out to them and support them in any way possible.