Annual Westminster event for grandparents raising grandchildren aims to help caregivers navigate challenges

Part of Nicole Ranoull’s job as Maryland Access Point information and assistance manager at Carroll County’s Bureau of Aging and Disabilities is to help grandparents and older relatives who are faced with being the primary caregiver for young children.

Though the bureau does not keep statistics on how many older residents are caring for young children in Carroll, Ranoull said about 20 individuals regularly access the Family Caregiver Support Program. She believes there are many more people who are not taking advantage of resources offered by the program.

That’s one reason why the agency is hosting the Annual Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Grandchildren Conference this Saturday.

“We want to target with education, but we also want to make sure that [families] know that they have to take care of themselves to be a caregiver, so we try to have a variety of different topics [for people] that are coming in,” she said.

Some of the challenges older relatives face when raising young children include having to start working again after retiring, adapting to changing parenting styles, and navigating social media and new technologies, Ranoull said.

Ranoull said the conference has been held annually in the county for about a decade and each year addresses different topics, which are developed from topics discussed during the program’s support group sessions.

This year’s conference is titled, “A Shared Commitment to Raising Healthy Children,” and planned topics include: how to keep children safe when navigating social media and commonly used apps; managing custody and court system challenges; learning about science and holistic wellness; and staying connected with your child/teenager.

Bobbie Lawrence, client services supervisor at the Bureau of Aging and Disabilities, said she hopes the community will leave the conference knowing they have support.

“Our goal is to get some needed information out there to people who could use it and tap into a lot of resources that they’re not aware of,” Lawrence said.

Participating agencies and organizations include Carroll County Public Schools, the Carroll County Youth Service Bureau, the Department of Social Services and PFLAG, which, Lawrence said, will provide brochures, fliers, handouts and Power Point presentations.

As of Friday, about 25 people had registered for the conference. In the past about 35 people registered.

The conference will take place at the Westminster Senior and Community Center, 125 Stoner Ave., Westminster from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday. There is no cost to attend, but attendees must register by noon, Friday.

For more information or to register, call 410-386-3800.