Kinship Connections Gives Caregivers Hope and Optimism
By Guest Blogger Barbara Strum, Kinship Caregiver When I think of my kinship experience, one word comes to mind and that is “Faith” (Optimism). Kinship care to me means having a support network made up of social workers, case managers, therapists, counselors, and other grandparents or relatives in the same situation where they are raising one of their kinfolks. It is a community, a close-knit group of fellowship, support, and encouragement. We help one another just by knowing that we are not in this situation alone. Many of our Kin that we care for have mental problems or severe trauma issues. When we have done all we can do, it is nice to have someone just to listen and truly care. Sometimes we get ideas or suggestions to think “outside the box” on something that we may not have tried. Kinship care encourages us to not forget about our own self-care and health needs. We get numerous ideas about this, but most of all it encourages us to remember to laugh through our situations and to know that we all have each other’s back, regardless. And we have made new friends. Kinship Connections gives us resources and helps us when we have nowhere else to go. It’s almost like a one-stop convenience store. I rate it a 10+ for anyone. 👍
