Grandparenting: diversity in grandparent experiences and needs for healthcare and support.

Abstract

Grandparents who care for grandchildren can benefit their families and also their own sense of self-worth. We conducted a selective review of the medical and social sciences literature trying to learn more about grandparents' place in today's world of dual-income families and greater longevity, with a special focus on the conjunction of healthcare, workforce engagement and lifespan psychological development. Evidence that would be useful for both clinical and preventive health services is in many cases unavailable. In this paper we outline what is known and not known about grandparenting, a phenomenon that quickly shows itself to be both complex and fascinating.