Grandparents who help out occasionally with childcare or provide support to others in their community tend to live longer than seniors who do not care for other people, according to a study from Berlin, Germany. Having full-time custody of grandchildren can have a negative effect on health, but occasional helping can be beneficial for seniors, the researchers write in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, December 5. "Having no contact with grandchildren at all can negatively impact the health of grandparents," said lead author Sonja Hilbrand, doctoral student in the department of psychology at the University of Basel in Switzerland. "This link could be a mechanism deeply rooted in our evolutionary past when help with childcare was crucial for the survival of the human species," Hilbrand told Reuters Health by email. The findings are drawn from data on more than 500 people over age 70 in the Berlin Aging Study. The participants completed interviews and medical tests every two years between 1990 and 2009. The researchers did not include any grandparents who were the primary caregivers for their grandchildren, only those who cared for grandchildren occasionally. The study team...
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