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Abstract
Grandfamilies, or kinship families where the primary caregiver for children is a Grandparent or older relative, are rapidly growing in the United States. Grandfamilies often face challenges to health and well-being that other kinship families do not, such as higher rates of poverty. Common challenges among Grandparents raising grandchildren include difficulty managing chronic health conditions and navigating healthcare systems, which can limit Grandparents’ ability to care for their grandchildren. In short, health literacy, or the constellation of knowledge and skills one needs to successfully care for one’s health, is an unmet need within this population of older adults. To address this unmet need, a seven-part health literacy education program was created and implemented within an existing service specifically dedicated to supporting Grandparents raising grandchildren in Northeast Georgia. A mixed-methods feasibility study with multiple (N=15) semi-structured key-informant interviews conducted with stakeholders affiliated with the health literacy program, including Grandparents (n=8), administrative staff (n=2), and Subject matter experts (n=5) explored the program’s value, perceived appropriateness, complexity, sustainability, scalability, satisfaction, and effectiveness. Thematic Analysis with top-down and bottom-up qualitative coding schemes were used to code and interpret the data. Overall, the health literacy program was valuable and all stakeholders felt positively about program. Grandparents received useful information about health insurance, nutrition, COVID-19, self-advocacy in healthcare, and eHealth literacy. Subject matter experts enjoyed connecting with older adults and viewed their experience as grounding. Administrative staff saw the program as a good starting point with room to grow. Additional exploration of the program’s effectiveness, sustainability, and scalability is required because collected data was limited by small sample sizes and a homogenous group of Grandparents.