Caregiver News Winter 2003

Help Is a Phone Call Away

Grandparents and other caregivers may now find getting answers to questions and learning about available resources is as easy as picking up the phone, thanks to the collaboration between MKCA and the Senior LinkAge Line®.

A service of the Minnesota Board on Aging and Minnesota Area Agencies on Aging, the Senior Linkage Line® is a free telephone information and assistance service which makes it easy for seniors and their families to find community services.

Senior LinkAge Line® staff deal with a wide-range of issues facing seniors, from transportation to health insurance counseling. Now, with training provided by MKCA, Senior LinkAge Line® staff provide help to seniors who are grandparent “parents.”

“The Senior LinkAge Line® has a statewide ‘1-800’ number that people can easily access,” says Chris Clauson, MKCA’s executive director. “Those answering phones have great knowledge about resources in their communities and, thanks to specialized training provided by MKCA, they will be well-equipped to deal with caregiver issues and challenges.”

This is a great opportunity for the Senior LinkAge Line®, reports Kelli Jo Greiner of the Minnesota Board on Aging. “Seniors have many challenges, and raising a grandchild, while a blessing, can present more challenges. We look forward to being there to help.”

The work between MKCA and the Senior LinkAge Line® is a result of a grant awarded to MKCA by the Minnesota Board on Aging and the local Area Agencies on Aging to fund programs to help meet the needs of people 60 years and older who are primary caregivers for grandchildren and other young ones.

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Clauson Accomplished Much

Every once in a while, someone comes along who significantly influences your life. In the life of MKCA, Chris Clauson, the organization’s first executive director, is one such person.

MKCA achieved milestones with Chris at the helm, during his almost two-year tenure as the organization’s executive director.A hallmark of Chris’ work was the successful effort of securing a $450,000 grant from the Minnesota Board on Aging and the local Area Agencies on Aging to fund programs to help meet the needs of people 60 years and older who are primary caregivers for grandchildren and other young ones.

The fruits of his labor include the establishment of workshops, peer support groups and volunteer mentor program throughout Minnesota; development of the MKCA Web site, newsletter, and informational material; and publication of the First Steps and Legal Steps resource guides. Also, the grant is funding a research project that will identify the challenges confronting caregivers and their families.

During Chris’ service, the groundbreaking Defacto Custodian and Interested Third Party Law was passed by the 2002 Minnesota Legislature and signed into law by Governor Ventura. The law seeks to protect a child’s fundamental right to be raised in a safe, stable, and nurturing environment. Under the law, grandparents and others, in specific circumstances, can approach the court on a basis equal to that of parents. Not designed to impinge on parental rights, the law affects situations in which a third party has parented a child for an extended period of time or in instances of neglect or abandonment.

Each of us at MKCA is thankful to have had Chris as part of our organization. We have enjoyed him on professional and personal levels. More important, we appreciate all he has done to help the estimated 71,000 Minnesota children living in kinship families and the relatives and family friends parenting them.

Thank you, Chris. You have made a true difference.

Laurie Hanson
President, Board of Directors

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Mark Your Calendar for MKCA Conference

“Unplanned Parenthood II,” a MKCA statewide conference, will be held Monday, Oct. 6, at a location to be announced.

The keynote speaker will be Donna Butts, Executive Director of Generations United. Through its National Center on Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children, Generations United seeks to improve the quality of life of caregivers and the children they are raising.

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MKCA Appoints New Executive Director

MKCA has appointed Lynn Weir as its executive director. She assumes the post in February, succeeding Chris Clauson who left the leadership position in January.

Weir has extensive history in non-profit organizations and working collaboratively with volunteers and social service agencies. She comes to MKCA from Walker Methodist Health Center, Minneapolis, where she served as the director of volunteer services.

Prior to moving to Minnesota from Menomonie, Wisconsin, Weir served as the executive director of Dunn County Interfaith Volunteers, Inc. and coordinated volunteer efforts for Northwest Wisconsin Area HomeCare and for Hospice Service of the Menomonie Area.

With a successful track record in non-profit organizations, Weir has earned a reputation as a strong leader who excels at building relationships and community partnerships.

“I’m excited to begin my association with MKCA and the opportunity it brings to serve kinship families,” she says. “I look forward to meeting everyone and developing future partnerships to enhance services and to help families live life to their fullest potential.”

Weir’s experience, community networking, education, and demeanor are a perfect fit as MKCA works to broaden its network, support groups, volunteer staff, and programs, according to Laurie Hanson, MKCA’s executive director.

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Person to Person:
Stirred to Action by Personal Experience

Gaining custody of his grandson had an unanticipated result for Peter Banovetz. It inspired him to shift the focus of his law practice.

“The legal gauntlet we encountered to obtain custody of our grandson convinced me that I needed to make a difference and be a voice for people raising relatives’ children,” Peter says.
He reports, it’s a challenge to get those “in the system” – social workers, guardians ad litem, custody evaluators, county attorneys and staff, judges, and others – to understand the role these relatives play in the children’s lives and to appreciate the circumstances that got them involved in the first place.
“I read recently that

grandparents are the silent saviors of our families,” Peter says. “But, often, grandparents are treated as if they’re strangers. I want to change that.” Raising a child under any circumstance is challenging. But, grandparents and other caregivers have additional demands and issues. That’s why it’s important for them to develop a network of support, reports Peter.

His other piece of advice is for caregivers to be proactive in a legal sense. “It may help avoid adverse legal ramifications, and may prevent children from being yanked around.”

As an attorney, what’s rewarding is his clients’ heartfelt appreciation for his advocacy, work, and his first-hand understanding of what they are going through.

As a grandparent, what he finds rewarding is seeing his grandson prosper in a stable, safe, and nurturing environment, a theme common to every one of Peter’s clients.

“What never ceases to amaze me is the absolute love and gut-wrenching concern ‘my grandmas and grandpas’ have for the children,” he says.

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