Encouraging a strong relationship between children and their senior grandparents has benefits for everyone.The love and connection between a grandchild and grandparent is something special, and developing and maintaining that strong bond has many physical and emotional benefits for everyone involved.
As expert Susan Bosak describes, “Children who have strong ties with involved, caring grandparents develop higher self-esteem, better emotional stability, stronger social skills (including an ability to withstand peer pressure,) and enhanced academic performance.”
A grandparent can be a loving adult in a child’s life who provides a sense of history, wisdom and connection to the greater family unit. This is a unique relationship in which older adults can pass on family traditions, stories and experiences that children will remember and treasure now and in the future as they mature and grow older themselves.
According to a recent AARP report on grandparenting, 81% of seniors report that they play an important role in their grandchildren’s lives. In addition, the relationships they have with their grandchildren are a benefit to them as well:
- 89% say their relationship is good for their own mental well-being
- 67% say their grandchild(ren) make them more sociable
- 66% say their grandchild(ren) make them have a more active lifestyle
- 51% say their relationship is good for alleviating health conditions
As seniors age, their mobility and abilities may change, but the connection they have with their grandchildren doesn’t need to. Even if distance is a barrier to seeing grandchildren (over half of grandparents have at least one grandchild who lives more than 200 miles away, and about a third live more than 50 miles from their closest grandchild, according to the AARP study), the use of technology can help families to stay connected.
Whether close by, connecting in person, or hundreds of miles apart, connecting through technology, grandchildren and grandparents can develop and maintain a close relationship by making time for each other to:
- Read books together
- Share or teach a hobby such as knitting or painting
- Bake a treat or share how to prepare a family favorite meal
- Use the internet or cell phones to play games
- Send text messages, photos and emails
- Write each other old fashioned letters or drawings in the mail
- Ask each other questions and share stories
At Nightingale Homecare, our caregivers can help seniors continue to connect with their grandchildren and other loved ones by helping seniors use technology to stay in touch with family, provide transportation for social outings, prepare meals for a special visit, and more! Contact us online or call us at (602) 504-1555 to learn more about how we can help just a few hours per week, or with Phoenix live-in home health care throughout the full metropolitan area.
