In society today grandparents and children live increasingly separate lives. Technology, better healthcare and easy to access live-in care means that seniors are able to live independent, healthy lives at home with much more ease. Multi-generational living is less popular because parents of an age where they can care for their own parents are more likely to following their career. With both parents out of the home there is rarely anybody to care for their elderly parents.
According to the non-profit organisation the Live-in Care Hub professional care in the home offers a solution for older people living in their own homes but also where several generations of a family live together. This has the benefit of allowing grand-parents to spend more time with their grandchildren without adding a burden to the already busy stressful lives of parents with young children.
Modern life with all its technological advantages has changed the way we lead our lives and older people in the community no longer naturally come into contact with younger generations as much anymore.
This is a real shame for all generations when there are so many benefits to us all of being together socially, but especially for the oldest and youngest generations. Special relationships can beformed and seniors have experienced some huge improvements to their mental and physical health through regular contact with children.
And children who are shy have been seen to blossom and love the time they spend with their new older friends. Of course, there might be a little bit of spoiling going on!
So why not consider the benefits of younger and older people spending time together and see if multi-generational living (or simply more time spent with grand-parents) could benefit your child, your parents and your whole family.
The Benefits To Seniors
Seniors can benefit hugely with even a little time spent with younger children, something that has been proven in various studies and social experiments. Here are some of the key benefits to seniors when they spend time with younger children:
Emotionally
- Loneliness is avoided
- Seniors experience a sense of purpose
- Dementia symptoms may reduce
- New skills are learnt
- A new sense of perspective is gained
- Mood may be enhanced, especially if the person has depression
- Anxiety may be reduced
Physically
Physically, older people can often surprise themselves with their physical abilities when there is a child to play with. They may have felt they had limits they actually self-placed because of a fear of falling or hurting themselves. But wanting to join in, and the children themselves encouraging their grandparents to do more, they may find their physical abilities are much better than they thought.
Benefits To Younger Children
Younger children are known to benefit from spending time with the elderly. They learn many new things, and they have somebody patient and understanding who wants to listen to them. Younger children also enjoy feeling a sense of importance, knowing they are making a difference to somebody’s life. They gain a strong understanding of growing older and what it means, and they understand different members of the community.
Take Part in Multi-Generational Events
Even if you no longer have parents to be grandparents to your children you can still take part in multi-generational events in your community that could benefit your young children.Or if you are an older person with no grandchildren you could also do the same. There are many programmes and schemes that usually operate locally so have a look in your area. You could also look into volunteer projects that involve lots of different age groups.
