I'm 73 and raising 3 great-grandchildren. Money is tight, and I don't know if I'll live to see them grow up.

Ira Brown is now raising three of her great-grandchildren. Ira Brown

Ira Brown, 73, raised her children and granddaughter, and is now raising three great-grandchildren.

She and her husband live close to paycheck to paycheck, and are exhausted from caretaking.

More older adults like Brown are caring for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren nowadays.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ira Brown, a 73-year-old great-grandmother in Texas who raised her children, her granddaughter, and her great-grandson. She recently took in two other great-grandchildren as a temporary guardian. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

After I retired in 2016, my husband and I had planned to travel all over.

Then, my granddaughter became pregnant at 20.…