Caring for grandchildren may help keep senior citizens healthier for longer. A loving, involved grandparent can be a gift to everyone in the family — including when a parent can call on them to come help with the kids!
Turns out grandparents benefit enormously from this, too. A recent study published by the North American Menopause Society has shown that grandparents who babysit their grandchildren once a week scored higher on cognitive tests compared to those who didn’t.
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Interestingly enough, though, the same study also found that grandparents who babysat five times or more per week scored lower on cognitive tests.
In the past, studies have shown that socializing is an important factor in maintaining cognition, which is key to delaying the onset of dementia, but this is the first study to look directly at the role of being a grandparent.
So, go ahead, send your kids to their grandparents for a day. You’re doing them both a favor!
