Grandparents:

This pilot research project focuses on a description of the role and identifying activities of grandparenting within a lower income New York City Hispanic community. This study has three components: a comparison of Hispanic and white grandparents, an exploration of models derived from the gerontological and growing grandparenthood literature, and a discussion of the therapeutic potential of grandparenting activities. The research design involved two interviews with 10 subjects at a senior center. Research instruments included: Kornhaber and Woodward's Life Story Approach and Grandparenting Questionnaire, a genogram activity and the McNevins Test, "Describing the Older Person." Results of the comparison between the two groups of grandparents suggest that interesting differences exist. Testing the theoretical models opens up new ways of looking at the Hispanic grandparent. Implications for the practice of more culturally and developmentally sensitive occupational therapy are discussed.