Grandparenting from a distance: experiences of nursing home residents

When elderly relocate to nursing homes, the relationship with grandchildren changes significantly. The purpose of this study was to explore these changes as well as grandparent role satisfaction after relocation. For purposes of studying these research questions, eight nursing home dwelling grandparents participated in semi-structured interviews. The results of the study provided an enhanced understanding of the factors related to long-distance relationships of residential care facility-dwelling grandparents and grandchildren, such as the evolution of the relationships, level of grandparent role satisfaction, and coping mechanisms related to the challenges of maintaining these long-distance relationships.