Natalie Groger, 100, was in her 80s when she moved into a nursing home 13 years ago. “I came here as a kid,” she jokes.
The bright and quick-thinking centenarian has a few habits that often lead to longevity, like having a positive outlook on life and enjoying the brain-health-boosting antioxidants in her morning blueberries. But perhaps her most influential healthy habit, the one that helps her achieve what many would consider a successful life even into old age, is the time she spends with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Groger’s greatest pride and joy is her family, she said. She is survived by her late husband, two children, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. She maintains a close relationship with her family, she says. She cherishes photos of her oldest son’s great-grandson at junior prom and dotes on her 11-year-old great-grandson, who frequently visits The Bristol at Inglewood, an assisted living facility in Inglewood, New Jersey.
Recent studies have shown a positive impact on grandparents connecting with their grandchildren. In a study published in May 2026 by psychology researchers at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, grandparents “reported increased feelings of pride and feelings of love” after spending time with their grandchildren, said study co-author Flavia Chereches, a doctoral student and researcher at Tilburg University.
“I think this really speaks to the value of this contact for our grandparents, and I think it also speaks to the younger generation of how important it is for us to have contact with our grandparents,” Chereches says. “It seems to have psychological benefits for them.”
From a health perspective, the emotional benefits are more important than the short-term warm and fuzzy feelings. Maintaining positive relationships in your life, or social adaptability, stands out as a factor that promotes physical well-being and longevity, according to Harvard researchers who study what leads to health and longevity. In other words, making the effort to stay in touch with your grandparents could help them age gracefully.
Of course, not everyone maintains strong connections with their parents and children. But if we can build intergenerational family connections, we may be able to help our grandparents and parents age well, at least to some extent. This will increase your chances of having children and grandchildren who will want a positive relationship with you as you grow older.
By connecting with your grandparents, you may be able to help them and yourself in the future
Several studies have shown that supplementary caregiving, or providing additional support to care for grandchildren alongside parents, is associated with positive health outcomes, including lower risk of dementia, improved mobility, and lower risk of death. In particular, being the primary and sole caregiver of grandchildren is associated with negative health outcomes for grandparents, including increased risk of death.
Another study co-published by Chereches this year found that grandparents who provide supplemental care have “higher levels of verbal fluency and episodic memory” than grandparents who are not involved in their grandchildren’s care. In particular, research has found that grandmothers who are caregivers experience a slower decline in cognitive function than grandmothers who are not caregivers.
“In general, we know that the elements of healthy aging are being physically active, being cognitively engaged, and having a good social network and participating in society… Caregiving is like the luxury of giving you all these opportunities,” Chereches says.
Of course, caregiving and regular contact with grandchildren are not the same. But Lenny and Hilda Bergman, 93 and 88 years old, respectively, believe their happiness is at least in part due to regular contact with their seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Lenny and Hilda Bergman, 93 and 88 years old, respectively, say they value creating family memories that span multiple generations.
Lenny and Hilda Bergman, Bristal Assisted Living
The Bergmans have developed those relationships over time, they wrote. When her grandchildren were attending summer camp as adolescents, Lenny Bergman said she decided to write them a letter every day and call them every weekend to make sure they “didn’t get homesick.”
Since then, she says, activities with her grandchildren have ranged from interstate trips to family game nights after Hilda Bergman gifted her granddaughter a mahjong set. To this day, “If I don’t hear from anyone for a week, I call or my wife calls,” Lenny Bergman says. “We love each and every one of them very much.”
Their mobility highlights another potential advantage for active grandparenting. “As you get older, you have multiple options to stay active, and becoming a grandparent can be one of those options,” Chereches says.
