It’s great to be grand – the health benefits of a close grandchild-grandparent bond


“Young people need something stable to hang on to — a culture connection, a sense of their own past, a hope for their own future. Most of all, they need what grandpar- ents can give them.” – Jay Kesler, author of Emotionally Healthy Teenagers.


of the year. Steeped in family tradition, the holidays give us a reason to connect with the ones who matter most. Some of my fondest holiday memories are of my grandparents and our trips to the small prairie town they called home. A pot of tea was always ready for our arrival and the smell of fresh baking drifted into the opening of the doorway when we stepped


W into their old


Victorian house. My grandparents were


Krystal Simpson Healthy Living


generous with both their time and affection, espe- cially during the tumultu- ous teenage years. They became my lighthouse, guiding me through the pain and sadness after the death of my mother


when I was 17. My grandfather taught me invalu- able lessons about living through the Great Depres- sion and what it meant to have character. My Nana believed that a little side of gravy and a dose of love made everything better and I still make her mouth- watering recipes every holiday season. The love between a grandparent and grandchild


is one of the most treasured in our shared human experience. It’s also one of the most beneficial. Research studies have confirmed the importance of this intergenerational relationship to the mental health and well-being of both parties. In a study published in The Gerontologist, re-


searchers from the Institute of Aging at Boston College found that the closer the relationship be-


Being a grandparent can be good for your health.


tween the grandparent and grandchild, the less likely either were to experience symptoms of de- pression. The study followed 716 grandparents and their grandchildren for 19 years. As life expectancy increases, more grandchildren are able to have rela- tionships with their grandparents well into adult- hood. In fact, the average age of the grandchildren in the study was 31. Associate professor Sara Moor- man, lead author of the study, noted that, “The greater emotional support grandparents and adult grandchildren received from one another, the better their psychological health.” A close grandparent-grandchild bond can also


help combat social isolation for seniors. According to Statistics Canada, almost 1.4 million seniors re- ported feeling lonely in a national survey. As we age, our network of family and friends starts to shrink,


u A new day for Child and Family Services Continued from page 3


tified as a risk to children were not con- tacted by social workers and similarly not contacted 50% of the time when they were considered a risk to mothers. Additionally, many fathers (38.8%) who were the source of child maltreat- ment concerns had unsupervised visits with their children, as did a significant percentage (30.8%) of fathers identi- fied as being violent towards mothers.” How can a family heal when half of it is left out of the picture? How can fathers be considered irrelevant? How can violent parents be given unsuper- vised visits?


To make collaboration and media- tion work we have to listen On the other hand, where the collab- orative approach has been taken, all par- ties have a chance to take responsibil- ity for solutions. Underlying problems can be identified. Community members can become part of the monitors for the family’s behaviour. One creative ap- proach by a Manitoba First Nations was to send the family away and keep the children in their homes with commu- nity caregivers. In setting up this new system, we also need to change the way we approach


the changes. For once, government workers need to first LISTEN to the in- digenous communities. Take advice. Al- low the new procedures to be led by the community. Respect their procedures. Formalize them if needs must, but stop applying our values to the way things are done.


The government has the right idea. Minister Scott Fielding put it this way: “Child and Family Services can’t change alone; we must work in collaboration with government, Indigenous and com- munity partners as we all share the same goal for our children’s futures. We want


to keep children and youth safely within their family networks and home com- munities. We must reduce the number of children coming into care by sup- porting families,


communities and


neighbourhoods and inviting them to be part of the solution.”


The challenge is going to be getting those already in the system to buy in with sincerity and openness. Reading the Milward Report would be a good start. It can be found at http://www. childrensadvocate.mb.ca/wp-content/ uploads/MILWARD-ExecSum-web. pdf


ith the holiday season upon us, the ties that bind us are never more pronounced than they are at this most wonderful time


leaving us vulnerable to social isolation. Children grow up and have families of their own, loved ones and friends eventually pass away, leaving behind a void in a once-full life. Grandchildren can fill that void and provide a connection to a younger gen- eration. Feeling connected makes us feel loved and valued and this in turn has a positive effect on our health. Taking care of grandchildren can also help old- er adults stay mentally sharp. An Australian study published by the Women’s Healthy Aging Project found that grandmothers who watched their grand- children once a week had a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders. However, it’s important to note that watching the grandkids as much as five days a week did not provide the same cognitive benefits – the strain of full-time care can detract from any benefits gained. A close bond between the two parties can also help children navigate through painful emotional experiences like a divorce or bullying at school. A study from Oxford University found that children between the ages of 11 to 16 who were close with their grandparents had fewer emotional and behav- ioral issues. Dr. E. Flouri, a co-investigator on the study, remarked, “We found that close relationships between grandparents and grandchildren buffered the effects of adverse life events, such as parental separation, because it calmed the children down. This suggests future investigations should pay more attention to the role of grandparents in developing resilience in young people.” While my own grandparents have long since passed away, I watch my four-year-old daughter with her grandparents, my in-laws, and marvel at the connection and bond between them. Uncon- ditional love is an amazing, beautiful gift to share, and it is my wish for all of you this holiday season. If you live far away from your own grandchil-


dren, an excellent online article on how to stay con- nected can be found at: https://www.grandparents. com/grandkids/stayiing-connected-with-grandkids Krystal Simpson is a communications officer with


Victoria Lifeline, a community service of the Victoria General Hospital Foundation.


4 www.lifestyles55.net


December 2017


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