Newsletter and IYOP Initiatives Australian Coalition '99

AC '99 UPDATE - EDITION No. 7 (March 1999)

GRANDPARENTING - AN ISSUE FOR ALL TIME, BUT ESPECIALLY THE NEW MILLENIUM

There are more grandparents in the world than at any previous time in history . Grandparents are living to see their grandchildren grow in adulthood and are becoming great grandparents more and more frequently. Council on the Ageing has been working on a number of grandparenting projects for some years, particularly a Grandparents Support Group for those who have been separated from their grandchildren through family breakdown. There is an increasing need to bring grandparents up to date about child care in the late 20th century. The growth of two income families has seen grandparents asked to provide more and more child care. Recent studies have shown that 55% of child care (including formal and informal sectors) is provided by grandparents. While this is an excellent outcome for the children in most cases (and for the grandparents too), many older people also find a conflict between their golden years of freedom in retirement and their renewed child caring responsibilities.

On the other side of the coin, for many, contact with grandchildren is too infrequent, with distance, illness and financial limitations all playing a part. Those lucky grandparents who feel they have the right mix of contact and independence can also gain from COTA (NSW)'s new Grandparenting Association which will encourage positive literature about grandparenting, will provide grandparent enrichment courses and will encourage corporate and commercial programs and discounts particularly tailored to the needs of grandparents and their grandchildren.

COTA (NSW) is launching the new Grandparenting Association on 27 June 1999 at Royal Agricultural Showground in Homebush Bay. This is a free event with lots of family entertainment, opportunities to sign up for grandparenting project activities and a chance to meet the energetic Federal Minister for Ageing, the Hon. Bronwyn Bishop, MP.

Grandparents who join COTA's Grandparenting Association will also be eligible for COTA's membership services scheme which should save them more money than it costs. For more information please call COTA (NSW) on (02) 299 4100 or for country callers 1800 449 102.