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The neurological benefits of grandparenting
- On January 26, 2026, researchers published a study in Psychology and Aging showing caregiving grandparents scored higher on memory and verbal fluency tests than non-caregivers.
- Chereches and her colleagues examined data from 2,887 grandparents in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, all over age 50 with an average age 67, completing assessments three times between 2016 and 2022.
- The study found that rotating through diverse activities improved cognition, with helping with homework and playing or leisure activities linked to better memory and verbal fluency, while overnight stays and caring for sick grandchildren showed no association.
- The study found notable gender differences, with grandmothers who cared experiencing less cognitive decline, while grandfathers showed no slower decline; researchers caution causation is unproven due to selection bias and five-year timeframe.
- Given a 96% White British sample, Chereches cautioned that family context and voluntariness of care may influence outcomes, and more research is needed to replicate findings, she said.
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Being a grandparent might be good for your brain to help stave off mental decline, it's been claimed - and it doesn’t necessarily matter how often you see the grandchildren
·London, United Kingdom
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When grandchildren are often with their grandparents, this is not necessarily conducive to children's health, says a new study. Parents are better off doing so.
·Germany
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