There’s nothing like grandchildren to keep older adults active and joyful. A recent study shows that spending a moderate amount of time with grandkids may actually prevent Alzheimer’s disease by increasing brain function and memory.
In addition to boosting brain power, babysitting has been linked to decreased rates of depression. Learn more about the correlation between babysitting and senior health and get some ideas on fun things to do with your grandchildren.
Beyond adding joy to grandparent’s lives, babysitting grandchildren has now been shown to increase cognitive functions and reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s according to a new study published by the journal of the North American Menopause Society (Source).
How Babysitting Grandchildren Could Lower Risk for Alzheimer’s?
Researchers from the Women’s Health Aging Project in Australia observed the cognitive function of over 180 women who cared for grandchildren. The results showed that postmenopausal women who spend one day a week caring for their grandchildren may have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other cognitive disorders. However, those that spend five days a week or more caring for little ones may have a higher risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders.
The study which followed 120 grandparents in Australia found grandmothers who babysat one day per week scored higher on a range of cognitive tests. One caveat, filed under “everything in moderation” found that grandmother’s that babysat five or more days per week performed lower on cognitive tests.
