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In the quest for eternal youth, or at least the search for a longer life, people who are aging tend to turn to medical innovation, to special diets, or to meditation. , in order to stay healthy.
But something much simpler could be just as effective, if not more! As astonishing as it may sound, it would seem that grandparents who care for their grandchildren live much longer than others…
It is a very serious study carried out in Germany which recently demonstrated it.
A study conducted by the Berlin Aging Study
Le Berlin Aging Study was interested in aging and followed 500 people aged between 70 and 100 for twenty years, questioning them regularly on different subjects.
Dr. Hilbrand and his team investigated, among other things, whether there was a link between caring for others and their longevity. They compared the results of 3 distinct groups:
- a group of grandparents with children and grandchildren,
- a group of elderly people with children but no grandchildren,
- a group of elderly people without children.
The results showed that 10 years after the interview, the grandparents who had cared for their grandchildren were still alive and well, while the elderly without children had mostly died within 4 or 5 years. XNUMX years after the interview.
As for the elderly with children without grandchildren who continued to provide practical help and support to their children, or relatives, lived about 7 years after the interview.
Dr Hilbrand therefore came to this conclusion: there is a link between caring for others and living longer.
It is obvious that being socially engaged and having contact with other people, and in particular taking care of one’s grandchildren, has very positive effects on health and has an impact on longevity.
While the elderly, socially isolated would be much more vulnerable and would develop diseases more quickly. (For more details, see the book by Paul B. Baltes, The Berlin Aging Study.
Why does babysitting your grandchildren make you live longer?
Caring for and looking after the little ones would greatly reduce stress. However, we all know that there is a link between stress and the risk of dying prematurely.
The activities that grandparents do with their grandchildren (sports, outings, games, manual activities, etc.) are very beneficial for both generations.
The elderly thus remain active and put to work, without them realizing it, their cognitive functions and maintain their fitness.
As for children, they learn a lot from their elders, and this primordial social bond promotes family harmony, generational respect, it gives them stability and emotional support essential to their construction.
The health benefits of our seniors are therefore numerous: staying physically and socially active, reducing the risk of depression, stress, anxiety and anxiety, using their memory and mental faculties, keeping, in general, a healthy brain …
But you have to be careful not to overdo it!
The body has its limits, especially after a certain age, and if we cross them, the opposite effect is likely to occur: too much fatigue, too much stress, too much overwork, … can completely cancel out the benefits on health and thereby shorten the lifespan.
It is therefore a question of finding a just balanced between helping others, taking care of the little ones, without doing too much!
Keeping your grandchildren, yes of course !, but on the sole condition that it be in a homeopathic dose and that it does not become a burden.
It is up to everyone to know how to gauge the duration and the nature of the custody, in agreement with the parents, so that these moments of intergenerational complicity are only happiness for everyone.
Thus, the grandparents keep themselves in good health, the grandchildren take full advantage of all the riches brought by Grandpa and Grandma, and the parents can enjoy their weekends, their holidays, or just go to work. peace of mind!
Ideas for activities to do with Grandpa and Grandpa
Depending on their state of health, their financial means, and the time spent with the grandchildren, the activities to do together are very numerous and extremely varied.
For example, you can: play cards or board games, cook or bake, do housework, gardening or DIY, go to the library, to the cinema, to the zoo, to the circus, to the beach, at the swimming pool, in the kindergarten, at the leisure center, or in an amusement park, do manual activities (painting, coloring, beads, pottery, scrap-booking, salt dough, crochet, etc.).
Here are a few more ideas:
visit a museum, sing, dance, play ball, tennis, go for a sack race, a mess, take a walk in the forest or in the countryside, collect mushrooms, pick flowers, browse in the attic, go fishing, telling stories, playing video games, building the family tree, cycling, picnicking, observing the stars, nature, …
There are thousands of interesting things to do with your grandchildren to make these intense moments of sharing unforgettable.