Invisible caregivers : older adults raising children in the wake of HIV/AIDS / edited by Daphne Joslin.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An understudied aspect of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is the creation of hundreds of thousands of grandparent-headed households that have become home to children bereft of one or both of their parents. Such "skip-generation parenting" presents a host of challenges to the families involved and the social programs designed to assist them. Despite this unprecedented caregiving responsibility, older surrogate parents remain relatively invisible, hidden in the shadows of HIV care and the demands of raising a child. The primary goal of Invisible Caregivers is to generate, support, and guide program and policy initiatives designed to meet the needs of elder surrogates and their families.

Most social service programs are not able to identify the needs of older surrogates, often because these surrogate parents in HIV-infected families are reluctant to make their needs known for fear of social stigma or possible reductions of benefits. Multiple systemic barriers to case management and other services also frustrate attempts to bring available resources to elder caregivers. These barriers include professional ignorance or denial that HIV affects surrogates, eligibility restrictions through CARE, limited funding and age restriction on OAA, and a fragmented health and human service system. Because the issues facing elder caregivers are many and varied, this collection covers a host of issues: community health, aging, HIV services, child welfare, education, public policy, and mental health.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Caregiving Profiles
• 3 Stigma, Isolation, and Support for HIV-Affected Elder Parental Surrogates
• 4 Death and Bereavement Issues
• 5 Physical Health and Emotional Well-Being
• 6 Stress and Social Support in Older Caregivers of Children with HIV/ADS: An intervention Model
• 7 Caring for the HIV-Infected Child
• 8 Their Second Chance: Grandparents Caring for Their Grandchildren
• 9 Custody and Permanency Planning
• 10 Case Management Challenges and Strategies
• 11 Caregivers and the Educational System
• 12 Immigrant and Migrant Families
• 13 Policy Implications for HIV-Affected Older Relative Caregivers
• 14 Global Implications
• 15 Conclusion

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

"Skip-generation parenting" includes thousands of grandparents and older relatives such as great-grandparents and great-aunts who are raising children and adolescents because HIV disease has killed or disabled the parents. Despite this unprecedented responsibility, the older adults themselves are relatively invisible, hidden in the shadows of HIV care and the demands of raising a child. The implications of older adults raising children orphaned and affected by HIV disease are profound and complex, not only for individual caregivers and their families but also for professionals across a wide range of disciplines and service sectors. To date, there are no book-length studies of older adults raising children in the wake of HIV/AIDS, despite attention to AIDS-orphaned children. This collection addresses an area virtually ignored by current policy and programs and fills a vacuum in practitioner-oriented and academically oriented literature on families and caregiving. Because the issues affecting elder caregivers extend beyond a single area, contributors offer expertise in aging, HIV services, community health, child welfare, mental health, education, and public policy. The book generates, supports, and guides program and policy initiatives to address complex issues embedded in the daily experience of these families and the professionals who work with them. Particularly useful for social work and public health students. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. J. M. Howe AIDS Information Center, VA Headquarters (DC)