What is the role of a Grandmother in a Malawian society and how can we as health care workers support her?

Grandparents are family members and form an important element of the extended family. In traditional cultures, grandparents often have a direct and clear role in relation to the care and nurture of children. This has tended to be lost with the development of the nuclear family. In cases where the parents are not willing or unable to provide adequate care for their children, grandparents may take on the role of primary caregivers. In traditional East Asian cultures influenced by Confucianism, filial piety is one of the highest moral values. Grandparents usually exercise their authority on family matters, and their descendants should obey their seniors. This kind of structure gradually eases with the increasing influence of western culture and the increasing number of nuclear families. Malawi Medical Journal Vol. 19 (3) 2007: pp. 126-127