are dedicated to ensuring their grandchildren grow up healthy and well-rounded. However, researchers from Tilburg University in the Netherlands have found that older adults also reap significant benefits from interacting with their grandchildren, particularly when it comes to brain health.
“Many grandparents regularly care for their . This care is important for the family and society as a whole. However, it remained unclear whether caring for grandchildren could also be beneficial for the grandparents themselves,” noted Flavia Chereches, the lead author of the study.
According to her, the university team aimed to determine whether “caring for grandchildren could positively impact the health of grandparents, potentially slowing the decline of .”
What Did the Researchers Discover?
The scientists analyzed health data from approximately 3,000 grandparents aged 50 and older. This information was collected for the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, as reported by Science Alert.
From 2016 to 2022, all participants completed surveys in which they answered questions about whether they cared for their grandchildren, and if so, how often and in what capacity. During this period, participants underwent cognitive testing three times.
Grandparents who actively engaged with their grandchildren scored higher on tests measuring verbal fluency and episodic compared to those who did not. Notably, grandmothers who cared for sick grandchildren experienced a slower decline in cognitive abilities than those who did not take on such responsibilities.
While the researchers did not compare younger and older grandparents during the study, no significant differences in results were observed. It seems that the level of involvement in caregiving was more crucial than age.
Grandparents with relatively high baseline cognitive functions were more likely to play games with their grandchildren, assist them with homework, and engage in various activities with the kids.
Thus, a trend emerged: older family members with diverse skills and high intelligence levels tend to take a more active role in their grandchildren’s lives.
“Voluntary assistance in a supportive family environment can have entirely different effects on grandparents than being immersed in stressful situations where they feel neglected,” Flavia Chereches pointed out.
The study’s findings were published in the journal Psychology and Aging.
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