Besides bringing joy to grandparents life , babysitting would have an unsuspected benefit.
Indeed, it has just been shown by a very serious study that babysitting your grandchildren increases cognitive functions*.
It also reduces the risk of dementia and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
This study was followed by 120 grandparents in Australia.
She found that those who babysit 1 day a week had better results on a series of cognitive tests.
Apparently babysitting one day a week is enough.
But be careful not to overdo it! Why?
Because this study also showed another point.
Grandparents who babysat 5 or more days per week performed worse on cognitive tests.
Like what, everything must be done in moderation :-)
A great deal of research shows that regular social interaction helps seniors stay mentally healthy.
Many grandparents point out that spending time with their grandchildren improves their well-being.
They feel more useful that way, but that's not all.
It gives meaning to their lives and allows them to give and receive love.
*What are cognitive functions? These are the capacities of our brain that allow us in particular to communicate, to perceive our environment, to concentrate, to remember an event or to accumulate knowledge.
Source: North American Menopause Society
