Reframing Gerontological Thought and Practice: The Case of Grandmothers With Daughters in Prison

TLDR: The need to transcend "either-or" arguments around age as a master status is illustrated; the absence of the middle generation in a growing number of families is highlighted; and the anti-family premises of the generational equity debate are questioned.

Abstract: Attention to the lives of some of the nation's neediest older persons, grandmothers with daughters in prison, requires serious reconsideration of certain gerontological foci and assumptions. With data from such grandmothers, this article illustrates the need to transcend "either-or" arguments around age as a master status; to highlight the absence of the middle generation in a growing number of families; and to question the anti-family premises of the generational equity debate. It concludes with recommendations for how researchers and advocates could enhance their commitment to the neediest among the older population by revising the models that underlie policies and programs and reframing service orientations accordingly.