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Fact Sheet

Project Healthy Grandparents (PHG) at Georgia State University provides support services to grandparents raising grandchildren when parents are absent from the home.

Census Data

  • As of year 2000, approximately 6.3% of U.S. children under 18 (4.5 million) were living in grandparent-headed households. In Georgia, a grandparent was the primary caregiver in more than 92,000 households, 36,993 of which were in the metro Atlanta area (source Census 2000)

Our Services

  • The program has served more than 600 families and over 1350 children.
  • Each family is assigned a social worker who makes home visits.
  • The social worker offers assessment, case management, support, counseling, advocacy and referral information.
  • Referrals to health resources or monthly visits by a nurse are provided for the well-being of the family members.
  • Grandparents meet twice a month for parenting education classes and support groups.
  • The Early Intervention Program works with children 0 - 5 years of age who have pre-natal exposure to drugs, alcohol, or HIV/AIDS and have developmental delays as a result.
  • All PHG services are provided free of charge to families for one year.

What We Have Learned

  • Most of the grandchildren in the project have been neglected, abused or abandoned by their biological parents, often due to substance abuse, death or incarceration.
  • The average age of the grandparents is 56.
  • Typical health problems of the grandparents include:
    High blood pressure
    Obesity
    Diabetes
    Poor nutrition
    Arthritis
    Psychological distress