Many elderly Koreans raise, or at least regularly care for, their grandchildren. But unlike other races and ethnic groups, Koreans do not receive financial and other support from government agencies.

Ms. Yun Song-min, a social worker who until recently was with the New York City Department of the Elderly and now works at the Queens Child Guidance Center,

has carefully investigated the caregiving of elderly Korean and Chinese.

For her report, “The present state of Asian-American grandparents raising children, and their needs,” she interviewed 101 Asian grandparents (51 Korean and 50 Chinese), all of them active in the upbringing of their grandchildren. She discovered that 57.6% actually lived in the same house as the grandchildren. However, only 3.1% of the elderly had legal custody of the grandchildren.

“It’s very rare for elderly Asians to be granted legal custody to bring up their grandchildren. New York City’s support is only limited to those elderly with custodial authority for their grandchildren, so the majority of the elderly involved in bringing up their grandchildren are completely without city support or aid.” She stated this when she presented the findings of her report to the Manhattan Children and Youth Service Committee Conference, on June 2nd at Fordham University in the Bronx. She insisted that the city government must prepare a plan to support such elderly Asians.

According to Yun’s research, 48% of elderly Asians caring for their grandchildren are experiencing problems due to cultural differences. 82.2% of elderly Koreans who want to participate in a “support group,” which supplies information and training programs for the elderly, cannot do so because of the way the city’s system is established.

The city government concentrates only on those providers who have custodial authority, granting them funding and programs. There is currently no city support group for elderly Asians (Koreans, or Chinese) who do not have legal custody of the child or children they are helping to raise.

“The government of New York City thinks of Asians as a ‘standard’ minority, and therefore not in need of social welfare benefits. This stilted view ignores and overlooks the needs of those elderly Asians responsible for raising grandchildren. The New York City government needs a political effort to institute programs aiding those Asian grandparents who raise children,” said Yun.