Grandparenting

In North America, the time comes for many older people to settle down into a quiet life without the distraction of younger generations.

When does someone become old? Is it when they retire, or when they become a grandparent for the first time? Or is it regardless of any factor, and instead people become old simply when they turn a certain age?

No matter when people become old, most Baby Boomers say they’re not old – at least, not yet.

Many seniors move into assisted living communities and retirement homes to get the rest and relaxation they are looking for, and enjoy prepared meals and daily activities.

Friends and family come to visit, but what happens when young grandchildren overstay their welcome? How should a retirement community react?

Thanks to medical advancements, around the world, people are living longer than ever before. In the United States, women live to about 80, and men to about 75, and in Canada, women live to about 83 and men to about 78.

But some people live far longer than that.

National Grandparents Day was observed on September 11,  eclipsed by a larger remembrance.  A personal recollection of my father's parents came to mind.