Gerontologist: School Portals Stump Young Parents Too, Not Just Grandparents

Gerontologist Sam Cradduck said grandparents raising school-age children are not alone in feeling lost among online portals, teacher apps and tablets. "I think it might be important to know that you may be the oldest member in the PTA, but you're not probably the most confused," Cradduck said. "There are many younger parents that are still trying to learn to navigate the online portals and the tablets that their kids have, not having textbooks."

Cradduck said school itself has changed for everyone. "School isn't what it once was, and math doesn't math anymore. There's this new math thing," Cradduck said. "There's a lot of things that have changed. But for our older community that are managing and helping school-age children, there's a lot of help for you."

Cradduck said the first step is finding out what help exists. "I think that's the most important thing to find out is what resources are available to you, and how can you tap into it and make sure that you find a tutor that can help with some of the things you're not maybe the best at," Cradduck said.

Aging well coach Katherine Ambrose said older caregivers bring prior experience to the role. "It might look different, but the younger parents, they haven't helped kids go all the way through school," Ambrose said. Aging expert Amy O'Rourke pointed caregivers toward librarians for help with Wi-Fi and apps, and toward school staff. "If you go into the school counselors, the guidance counselors, the parent liaison people, just stop and then know your weak spot," O'Rourke said.

Board-certified physician Dr. Rhea Rogers said older caregivers carry two jobs at once. "Because as an older adult who thought they were going to retire, you're doing two jobs," Rogers said. "You're still trying to navigate your own health, your own decisions and things that pertain to you. Then you've got to also look at this other person." Rogers said children need steadiness more than perfection: "Really, for a child, they just need consistency. You don't have to be a perfect caregiver. They just need to know that they matter."

Cradduck said retired caregivers often have more time than working parents. "If you're at that retirement age and you've retired, most of the moms and dads are both working, and you do have that better quality time to be able to sew into the children," Cradduck said. "Mentorship is what we're to do when we age."

Resources named in the Aging Untold segment include librarians, teachers, tutors, school counselors and parent liaisons. O'Rourke asked caregivers to draw on hard problems they have already solved. "Think of all the difficult things you've been through, and look at what did you do then that made that successful," O'Rourke said. "So one of them is asking for help." Ambrose said the work carries lasting weight: "It might sometimes seem like an interruption, but it could be disguised as your greatest legacy."

The segment was published Oct. 27, 2026.