Grandparents are absolutely amazing. They have seen it all, they have gone through it all, and through the years, they have accumulated a wealth of wisdom. And hey, without them, we wouldn’t have had our parents and therefore we wouldn’t even exist!
One of the greatest joys for grandparents is having grandchildren and having the opportunity to endlessly spoil them and have fun with them. They get to play with the cute new members of the family without the responsibility of being a parent. What could be more joyful than that? But it looks like playing with grandchildren can do more for grandparents than just bring them happiness. A wide body of research has shown that taking care of grandchildren can actually reduce the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s is a frightening disease that causes progressive mental deterioration. As a result, a person with Alzheimer’s disease will experience memory loss and the interference of intellectual abilities. Nearly 44 million people around the world Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia. The average age that people are diagnosed with the disease is 65 years but Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging.
Sadly, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s. But in the video below, Dr. Jon LaPook talks about how taking care of kids not only keeps the minds of grandparents more active and entertained, it actually helps them retain cognitive function while reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. However, the study did note that if they took care of the children more than 5 days a week it started to show some negative effects. Learn more about this amazing study in the video below.
