As the holiday season approaches, a poll from the University of Michigan shows grandchildren may have a positive impact on their grandparents mental and physical health when they visit.
Gathering information from a survey of nearly 3,500 adults, the university was surprised to find a link between having and visiting grandkids and a decreased risk of loneliness.
U-M Professor Kate Bauer help lead the poll and works at the university’s school of public health. She said grandparents who see their grandchildren frequently reported better mental health compared to those who don’t
“When grandparents are not able to see their grandchildren, maybe they're not spending a lot of time with their family in general, we do see that mental health decline,” Bauer said.
The poll states 78% of grandparents who see grandchildren under 18 every day or nearly every day said they hardly ever feel isolated. 65% of grandparents who see their grandchildren every few months or so said the same.
Bauer said interacting with younger generations helped improved both cognitive and physical activity in older adults
“It keeps you sharp,” Bauer said. “It keeps you active. Most of these grandparents are running after their grandchildren and driving them to activities and doing games with them.”
One statistic that surprised Bauer was the number of grandparents that were taking care of their grandchildren on a frequent basis.
The poll shows that nearly half, 49%, of the grandparents with grandchildren under the age of 18 said they provide care for them at once every few months. 20% said they care for them more than once a week and 8% said they are caring on a nearly daily basis.
According to the poll, grandparents who identified as Hispanic seemed more likely to take care of grandchildren under the age of 18 on a near daily basis. 15% reported nearly daily care compared to 7% non-Hispanic white and 9% non-Hispanic Black older adults who reported near daily care.
Bauer said that with increased cost and limited availability of childcare across the country, grandparents are increasingly providing care for their grandchildren. She said this level of responsibility can worsen their mental health depending on their situation.
“We know that childcare is really expensive in this country and so grandparents are filling a really critical gap,” Bauer said. “We just want to make sure that you know that relationship continues to be mutually beneficial for everyone and it doesn't tip into putting an unfair burden on grandparents.”
One thing Bauer wants people to take away from this poll is to, “look at ways as a society that we can support these healthy relationships,” and ensure that their isn’t any unfair burdens place upon grandparents who are providing care to their grandchildren.
