Grandparent caregiving can boost brain health, study finds
A new study says grandparents who help care for their grandkids tend to have sharper minds than those who don't.
Researchers tracked 2,887 people aged 50+ in England from 2016 to 2022 and found that grandparents involved in caregiving had better memory and verbal skills.
Slower decline for grandmothers, steady brains for grandfathers
Grandmothers who cared for grandkids saw slower mental decline, while grandfathers showed higher levels of verbal fluency and episodic memory compared with matched non-caregiving controls, but did not show evidence of slower cognitive decline over time.
Interestingly, it didn't matter how often they helped out—just being engaged made the difference.
Those with better starting brainpower also did more activities like spending leisure time with grandchildren or helping with homework.
Why does this matter?
The study suggests that staying mentally active through caring for family could help protect against age-related decline.
As lead researcher Flavia Chereches put it, Voluntary care in supportive contexts maximizes benefits.
Still, the team notes that family situations and culture might play a role too.