Connecting the Generations : Grandparenting for the New Millennium

Connecting the Generations is not just a "how-to" on grandparenting, although there are certainly many practical tips and suggestions that will enhance your effectiveness as a grandparent. Written by sociologist and gerontologist Dr. Roma Hanks, this book is about connections -connecting first with yourself and then to your grandchildren. This is prerequisite reading for grandparents who want to know how to turn good relationships with their grandchildren into great ones."

Dr. Roma Stovall Hanks has a M.A. in Clinical Psychology from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D in Family Studies from the University of Delaware. She is currently Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of USA Programs in Gerontology at the University of South Alabama.

Dr. Hanks is former Chair of the Work and Family Focus Group of the National Council on Family Relations. She holds numerous professional memberships including the International Sociological Association, the American Sociological Association, and the Gerontological Society of American. She has received a number of honors including the 1990 Dissertation Award, Section on Aging, from the American Sociological Association and served as a member of the Editorial Board of Marriage and Family Review, a professional journal for research on families, published by Haworth Press. She has also served as project director for a grant provided for Interactive Planning for Family Futures, DHHS Administration on Aging.

Dr. Hanks has edited eight books in her general area of expertise, all published since 1990 by Haworth Press. In addition, she has written numerous book chapters and research articles, and presented at national and international conferences in the areas of family, aging, and inter-generational relationships.

Her current research focuses on grandparent care givers, spirituality, intimacy and health through the life course, and work/family issues.