Helping with grandchildren may stave off cognitive decline
News briefs
- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Helping care for your grandchildren can certainly be emotionally rewarding. Even better, it can also produce cognitive benefits, helping people maintain stronger memory and language skills as they age, according to a study published online Jan. 26, 2026, by Psychology and Aging.
Researchers analyzed data from 2,887 grandparents (average age 67, 56% women) collected from 2016 to 2022. Participants completed surveys on whether they cared for grandchildren in the past year and, if so, what they did with them - such as babysitting, playing, helping with homework - as well as how often. All participants also took thinking and memory tests several times during the study.
Grandparents who helped care for their grandchildren scored higher as a group on tests of memory and language skills compared with grandparents who did not do any caregiving. But only caregiving grandmothers - not grandfathers - showed less overall cognitive decline over time compared with peers who didn't help with childcare-related tasks. These benefits persisted regardless of whether care was occasional or frequent. The study authors speculated that the benefits likely occur because such caregiving tasks keep older adults mentally active and socially engaged.
Image: © Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez/Getty Images
About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
