Helen Ireland and her partner Dave Arrow-Smith did not expect to take on parenting roles again in their older age.
But Ms Ireland's granddaughter, Jasmin — now 17 — has been living with her since she was nine.
"As a grandparent, you spoil your grandkids … we've had to go from spoiling them to being disciplinary as well," Ms Ireland said.
"You have to go through the teenage years all over again.
"You literally go back to being a full-time parent."
The expenses associated with looking after Jasmin have forced both Ms Ireland and Mr Arrow-Smith to go back to work.
Ms Ireland also said she had to use her superannuation and sold her house in Adelaide's western suburbs.
"You don't get any support at all from Centrelink, or anybody else because you work," she said.
"So, it's just bad luck, suck it up, see you later."
The federal government offers means-tested Family Tax Benefit payments for grandparents who care for their grandchildren, as well as the childcare subsidy for young children.
And the South Australian government offers a support payment to foster carers to help them meet the costs of caring for a child.
But as Jasmin's grandparent, Ms Ireland is not eligible for that payment, she, along with other advocates, are calling on the government to provide greater financial support.
The lack of government support means Jasmin has also had to find work to help make ends meet at home.
"I have three jobs at the moment, plus my TAFE course as well," Jasmin said.
"I see them [grandparents] struggling financially and emotionally and all that type of stuff.
"And it hurts because, you know, I feel guilty."
Mike Feszczak, chief executive of Grandparents for Grandchildren SA, said he often saw similar cases.
"The average age of our clients is 65, the vast majority of those people are retired … or can't get back in the workplace," Mr Feszczak said.
"They are relying on their pensions, their superannuation, selling their assets, refinancing their homes, to continue to keep a safe place for their grandchildren.
"And they have all the difficulties of being older, and all the ageing issues that they have, whether that be transport, whether that be technology, whether that be their personal health."
The organisation provides about 2,000 registered children an annual payment of $750 to help cover education and other costs.
Mr Feszczak said some formal foster carers received a similar amount every week.
He said keeping children with their family members was preferable, both financially and emotionally.
"If you put them in the state care system, that's something like $150,000 a year per child," he said.
"So, it doesn't make financial sense to put them in the state care system.
"When the government talks about … 4,800 children in care, that's formal care," he said.
"That's not including the children that are in informal care, the children of the families that we support."
In a statement, a spokesperson said the state government was "incredibly grateful to the many outstanding grandparents and other kinship carers who give love and care to children within their extended family".
"Some kinship carers are remunerated. The government is currently exploring the structure of remuneration for carers," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said the government provided funding to Grandparents for Grandchildren SA to support and advocate for grandparents.
But Mr Feszczak said the government needed to do more and called for grandparents who were carers to be treated the same as foster carers.
"Identify grandcarers as foster carers and give them parity," he said.
Ms Ireland said she wanted the state government to "step up" to provide better assistance.
"Hopefully the next lot of people that are going through what we are going through will be able to do it a lot easier than we've done it," she said.
