Italy ages. And it goes towards a progressive demographic drop. But what relationship exists between the population curve and well-being in the over-65? Well, an increase in children could be an opportunity for the health of the elderly and better control of chronicity, increasingly widespread and heavy impact on the health service.
A curious recipe? Certain. But there are studies that clearly explain how become grandparents and dedicate themselves to grandchildren can contribute to extend life. Push a wheelchair, accompany the little ones to the kindergarten or school, maybe prepare a lunch with flakes when mom and dad are at work, it helps to feel fit. And it wouldn’t be just a pleasure for the psyche. Think about one aspect: after a heart attack in the third age, those who have children and grandchildren tend to have a longer survival than those who find themselves alone.
What the studies say
Going to sifting through the scientific literature, one realizes how significant the contribution of “grandfather” can be. There are even research showing how to become grandparents and dedicate themselves to grandchildren can affect life expectancy. Really five years.
It is clear, a simple observation published some time ago on Evolution and Human Behavior. The study was carried out on 500 people between 70 and 103 years of age: even if the numbers do not allow to draw definitive conclusions, when grandparents follow their grandchildren they live on average five years more Compared to those who “lose” the possibility of helping the youngest in the management of children.
As if that were not enough, to demonstrate how important to become “babysitter” is important in the third age there is also a study conducted in Hamburg by a group of health economics researchers, published in Bmj Open. In this case, scientists examined a population of almost 4000 grandparents, subjected to questionnaires targeted on their emotional state and on the perception of social isolation. The 1125 elderly people who declared to take care of grandchildren regularly they responded on average much more positive to the tests and feel they are more active Compared to those who face old age without the “tasks” related to the family. The idea is that there is A sort of “liaison” between the extreme age of lifewhich almost contribute to exchanging the well -being of the body and mind.
How much is grandparents to be
Dedicating to the little ones can represent a real prevention tool for third age pathologies. The commitment leads to socializing, fighting loneliness and above all cope with precise commitments, which become helpful if correctly managed, that is, without becoming a weight. If you exaggerate there is the risk of being too loaded with the situation, in particular from an economic point of view, and therefore find yourself in difficulty from a psychological aspect.
According to experts, having fixed and well determined commitments is fundamental for the socialization of the elderly person. And above all, it becomes a growth and development engine Also for the grandchild. Receiving information on historical memory, which must never mean to exceed with nostalgia, means helping the baby and young man to build tomorrow. In short, returning to mind the words of a great scholar of the psyche like Michele Tansella: We need to be as archaeologists as architects. That is, it makes known the sources but also to be able to trace traces for tomorrow, in a relationship that is obviously bidirectional. Because it may also happen that the nephew, perhaps a little more grown, remember the grandfather the time in which to take a medicine. ” Being grandparents, in short, is a responsibility Which must not “weigh”, but it is also a fortune not to be underestimated. And to be offered to others.
Be careful not to invade
In short. Being a grandfather who takes care of his grandchildren means having a well -defined social role and feeling useful. Because attention to grandchildren becomes an element that constantly responsible: in some way it is almost a job and as such it is rewarding. If responsibility does not become excessive, or in any case it is not lived as such, making grandfather means being able to have a 360 degree benefit, Both on the physical and intellectual level: being able to follow step by step the children means “forcing” themselves “to move and help them do their homework, already from elementary school, it also means keeping the brain trained. The important thing is to try to remain oneself. At all ages. without hiding if you need help. For some to become grandfather is source of energy and satisfactionsbut in others it can give birth conflict and regressions. And be careful to remain a “silent support”, avoiding criticisms of parents parents so as not to run the risk of taking away authority to those who have to educate the child. So the little ones will have the greatest benefits. And the grandparents will be better, consequently.
