Grandparents: how caring for grandchildren is linked to longer life

• Grandparents who cared for grandchildren had about one-third lower risk of death.
• Half of them were still alive 10 years later; half of non-caregivers died within about 5 years.
• Helping people outside the family showed a similar effect.
• Moderate involvement matters, not replacing parents full time.

What the research shows

Berlin Aging Study. Researchers followed more than 500 adults aged 70 and older for up to 20 years. Grandparents who provided occasional childcare had about a one-third lower risk of death than grandparents who did not. Half of the caregiving grandparents were still alive about 10 years after the first interview, while half of the non-caregivers had died within about 5 years. Older adults without grandchildren who supported others, such as friends or neighbors, also lived longer (Hilbrand et al., 2017).

Volunteering. A meta-analysis of studies in older adults found that volunteering was linked to a 24% lower risk of death after adjusting for other factors (Okun et al., 2013).

Purpose. A U.S. study of adults over 50 linked a stronger sense of life purpose to lower mortality (Alimujiang et al., 2019); caring for others is one source of purpose.

These are observational findings: healthier grandparents may be more able to help. Still, the link is consistent.