I'm 62 and raising four adopted granddaughters; I can't retire but I can breathe

Madalyn Conchola, 62, has adopted four granddaughters, now ages 7 to 19. Her son’s daughter was placed with her at 10 months in 2019, and in 2021 she received her older daughter’s three girls. She works remotely as an IT analyst in healthcare technology, a role she has held for 16 years.

Both of her adult children were dealing with substance abuse, and with help from Child Protective Services she stepped in to keep the children out of the system despite resistance from extended family. The financial hit has been significant. She earns over $70,000 a year but pays $2,250 in rent for space big enough for the household, spends about $400 a month on food, pays a few hundred dollars a month for gas, and has other monthly bills that add up to several thousand.

A state subsidy of a little over $2,000 helps but does not cover everything and will end as the children age. She also settled her mother’s estate in early 2026 after living in her mother’s house for three years and burying her mother in 2020 and her brother in 2021.

grandparent adoption, granddaughters, cps, substance abuse, kinship care, remote work, it analyst, state subsidy, housing costs, financial strain