Grandfamilies: When Grandparents Step Up to Raise Grandchildren

Grandfamilies: When Grandparents Step Up to Raise Grandchildren

April 19, 2026
Eileen Lawless, MS, MSW, CPG
An older woman and young boy sitting on grass outdoors, reading a book together.

On a Tuesday afternoon, Rosa got a call she never expected. Her daughter was in crisis and unable to care for her children. Rosa needed to pick up her 3 grandchildren that day. Within the week, what started as a temporary arrangement became much more permanent. Rosa was now a full-time parent again, at 62, a grandparent who had stepped in to raise her grandchildren. She had little time to prepare and no roadmap for what came next. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.

Older adults raising their grandchildren are part of a growing trend. These families are called grandfamilies or kinship families. According to recent data, about 4 million American caregivers care for a child or children under 18, and more than 2.7 million children are being raised full-time by grandparents or other older relatives.

The Rewards for Raising a Grandchild

Many grandparents say raising a grandchild gives them purpose and energy. Studies show that grandparent caregivers often report better health than non-grandparent caregivers. For the children, living with a grandparent brings stability, love, and belonging, and they are more likely to stay connected to extended family than children placed in foster care. Research on kinship bonds shows that support shared between generations, emotional, practical, and financial, is one of the strongest building blocks of well-being across a lifetime.

The Challenges Are Real

Raising a grandchild later in life comes with real challenges. Grandparents may be managing their own health conditions or working on a fixed income. Many feel caught off guard: one day they had plans for retirement; the next, they were parents again.

Common challenges include:

  • Financial strain, nearly half of all caregivers report at least one negative financial impact, such as stopping saving or taking on debt
  • Physical fatigue and health concerns that come with age
  • Legal questions around custody and guardianship
  • Grief over the loss of the grandparent role they had imagined
  • Worry about what would happen to their grandchild if their own health declined

Not all grandfamilies face these challenges in the same way. For many Black and Latino families, multigenerational living is a longstanding source of strength. At the same time, African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino caregivers are more likely to face negative financial impacts. Understanding this matters when connecting families to the right resources.

Watch Out for Isolation

One of the quieter risks for grandparent caregivers is loneliness. When grandparents step into a full-time parenting role, they often pull back from friends and social activities. Over time, that loss of connection takes a serious toll.

Nearly one in four caregivers report feeling alone; a number that has risen since 2020. Research links loneliness to poor health and early mortality. Social connection is not a luxury; it is a health need.

Taking Care of Yourself

Your well-being matters, not just for yourself, but for the children who depend on you. Good care plans must include the person receiving care and the person providing it. One in five caregivers rate their own health as fair or poor. You deserve support, too.

  • Stay connected with friends, family, or a support group
  • Keep up with your own health appointments
  • Look into respite care so you can take regular breaks
  • Know that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness

Steps you can take today:

Contact HR Life & Work Connections

Call (520) 621-2493 or email [email protected] for more information about these university resources. 

Community Support

In 2018, the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act was signed into law, creating a federal advisory council to identify resources and service gaps for grandfamilies. These resources are a good place to start:

*Name is fictitious, but this experience reflects common caregiver scenarios.