The statistics are sobering. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 164,423 children in Georgia live in grandparent-headed households and more than 600 of these grandparents who are raising their grandchildren live in Fayette County.

Often these grandparents lack information about the range of support services, benefits and policies they need to fulfill their caregiving role. When grandparents take on the responsibility of raising their grandchildren, they are often faced with obstacles to parenting their grandchildren such as providing food, clothing, shelter, help with social service agencies and various needed counseling services. Grandparents encounter these challenges as they provide care for their grandchildren, resulting in increased risk for depression, stress, changes in health, and financial difficulties.

To confront the issues surrounding this concerning trend, Fayette Senior Services, Inc. and FACTOR, a local advocacy agent for families and children, have established Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, a support group designed to better meet the needs of these special caregivers.

The collaborative effort between the two not-for-profit agencies, with support from the Atlanta Regional Commission, provides a forum where caregivers can openly discuss issues and problems they are experiencing or share the progress made within each of their families. Grandparents who are parenting their grandchildren can also receive assistance and information to address their legal, financial, education, health and support challenges.

Under the leadership of Betty Davis, LSMW, the group meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Fayette Senior Services’ new life enrichment center located at 4 Center Drive in Fayetteville. For more information about Grandparents Raising Grandchildren contact Betty Davis at 770-487-9802 or grandbb1@gmail.com or Connie Gouge at 770-460-9471 or congouge@bellsouth.net.

Fayette Senior Services (FSS) is a non-profit organization that provides a broad scope of life-enhancing services to Fayette County residents age 50 and better. The organization offers mature adults the opportunity to be involved in a variety of social, leisure, educational, health and wellness activities. For more information about FSS call 770-461-0813 or visit www.fayss.org.

Fayette Alliance Coordinating Teamwork, Outreach and Resources (FACTOR) is a Fayette County Family Connection collaborative that serves as the local decision-making body, bringing community partners together to develop, implement and evaluate plans that address the serious challenges facing Georgia’s children and families. For more information about FACTOR contact Becky Smith at 404- 291-1602 or visit www.gafcp.org/fcnetwork/fayette.

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