Many grandparents choose between moving into their children’s houses or staying where they live. Is there a clear answer to which option is better? This article compares both pros and cons, and gives a solution.

Grandparents might want to stay at their own home. In this case, we are talking about homes in a foreign country, not in the US. Grandparents might feel more comfortable because they are surrounded by their own culture and familiar friends. They feel more ‘at home’. But then the loneliness problem comes in. Any single grandparent will definitely feel lonely, which, as we know by now, can cause multiple issues regarding overall health. 

But grandparents might want to move into their children’s homes. And this could also help them in multiple ways. Grandparents can cook for the families, or take care of a newborn. They will have more time to spend with their children. However, they might not feel surrounded by all their friends and their own culture. They might miss what they call ‘home’.  

My grandparents decided not to permanently move in or stay in their own country. Each year, they spend 6 months in the US, and they spend the remaining 6 months in India. That way, they can stay at ‘home’ in their own country, while also spending half the year with their own children. This helps my family, since I have a baby cousin that both my grandmother and grandfather help to take care of. 

There isn’t a better option. If grandparents can split the year to spend time in their own country and with their own children, that will definitely make them feel much better.