MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1999

Exploring senior parenting

By Michelle Devera

On-Line Forty-Niner

Freshly-baked cookies, hand-knitted sweaters and Thanksgiving dinners are all beloved images of grandma.

The reality, however, has changed through the years.

In a growing trend, more grandparents are becoming parents for a second time.

This trend is the subject of a three-year study called the Grandmother Parenting Project, conducted by Catherine Goodman, a Cal State Long Beach professor of social work.

"We want to learn [how] family relations [affect] the grandmother's well-being, such as health, happiness and quality of life," Goodman said.

The focus of the study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, is on the grandmother's viewpoint.

Goodman is working with Dr. Merrill Silverstein of USC's Andrus Gerontology Center on the study, which began Sept. 1.

"When grandparents are sole providers, they may have difficulty getting health insurance for their grandchildren, arranging legal authority to make health and school decisions, and handling extra expenses of growing children," Goodman said.

Many of the grandmothers are still employed, she said, but others use government-subsidized sources of income such as social security and welfare.

Grandmothers are mainly recruited for the study from the Los Angeles Unified School District, Goodman said, but all are welcome to apply. Researchers have interviewed 200 grandmothers so far, but need 800 more.

Participants in the study are compensated $15 and their grandchildren receive a $5 McDonald's gift certificate.

"It's an inspiration to look at what older people can do under difficult circumstances," Good-man said, "to provide for children who need care and to keep the family together."