There are about 65 million grandparents in the United States today — and they play a far bigger role in family life than the traditional image of the retired grandparent who lives nearby and occasionally spoils the grandkids might suggest. New findings from AARP Research show that today’s grandparents are family connectors, caregivers, financial supporters, and mentors and advocates, often juggling multiple roles at once.
That broader picture offers an important lens for AgeTech. Older adults aren’t only managing their own health, finances, homes and daily lives. They’re also helping care for grandchildren, supporting their families financially, maintaining relationships across hundreds of miles, and thinking deeply about the well-being of the next generation.
A new report from AARP Research, Powering Families: The Essential Role of Grandparents in Care, Connection and Support, explores the many ways grandparents show up for their families. Here are four key takeaways — and what they suggest for innovators building technology for an aging population.
Staying Close, Even From Far Away
Distance can make grandparent-grandchild relationships more challenging, but it doesn’t necessarily make them less meaningful. While about half of grandparents have at least one grandchild living locally, others maintain relationships across considerable distances. As distance increases, the frequency of contact tends to decline, but digital technology has become an important bridge.
Three-quarters of grandparents (76%) say electronic technology — including texting, video calls, social media, shared photo apps, email, group chats and shared calendars — is a primary way they stay connected. The specific tools vary by age: Younger grandparents are more likely to hop on a video call, while older grandparents rely more heavily on texting, email and phone calls.
What it means for AgeTech innovators: Technology designed to foster connection should make staying in touch as easy and frictionless as possible. That means intuitive interfaces, accessibility and flexibility for people with different levels of digital comfort. It also points to an opportunity beyond basic communication: Tools that help families share everyday moments, photos, activities and information can help make long-distance relationships feel more immediate and natural.
Helping Family Life Keep Moving
Grandparents are also an important part of the family caregiving infrastructure. More than two-thirds (69%) provide care for their grandchildren at least once a year, and nearly half do so at least monthly. On average, grandparents devote more than 500 hours a year to caring for grandchildren — the equivalent of 12.5 weeks of full-time work. One in 10 grandparents serves as a primary caregiver with formal responsibility for a grandchild.
That care can be joyful, but it can also create real demands. Some grandparents step in because parents are working or need help with childcare; others provide support simply because they value the time they spend with their grandchildren. And these responsibilities don't necessarily exist in isolation. Grandparents may simultaneously be helping adult children, caring for a spouse or supporting another family member who needs assistance.
What it means for AgeTech innovators: Caregiving technology should reflect the reality of multigenerational families, where support can move in multiple directions and responsibilities can overlap. Tools that make it easier to coordinate schedules, share information, manage responsibilities and communicate across a family can help reduce some of the logistical friction that comes with these roles.
Providing Support at Scale
Grandparents’ contributions aren't limited to their time. Nine in 10 grandparents spent money on or for their grandchildren in the past year, averaging $2,654 across all grandchildren. That support takes many forms, from gifts and celebrations to basic necessities, education, activities, household expenses and technology.
The scale of that support is significant. AARP Research estimates that grandparents provide more than $172 billion in direct financial support to grandchildren each year. Their unpaid caregiving adds another estimated $731 billion in economic value, bringing the total annual contribution of this “grandparent economy” to $903 billion.
What it means for AgeTech innovators: Older adults should be recognized as active and important participants in family financial life — not simply as consumers managing their own retirement finances. FinTech and financial wellness products can help older adults make, track and communicate financial decisions across generations. As with other AgeTech solutions, usability, accessibility, trust and security are essential, particularly when technology touches sensitive financial information.
Looking Out for the Next Generation
Grandparents aren't just helping their families in the present; they're thinking about the future. They have concerns about issues ranging from affordability and economic uncertainty to community safety, education, healthcare and their grandchildren's mental and emotional well-being. They also identify more personal concerns, including their grandchildren's family connections, physical health and digital lives.
These concerns reflect another important aspect of grandparenting: advocacy. Grandparents can serve as mentors, guides, sources of stability and transmitters of family stories and values. This role encompasses a wide range of grandparenting styles, from those who take on a strong teaching role to those whose relationships are characterized by mutual learning and exchange.
What it means for AgeTech innovators: The opportunity isn't limited to products designed explicitly for older adults. Technology can also support the family relationships and concerns that older adults are actively engaged in. Solutions that help families navigate health, education, financial security, digital safety or intergenerational connection can be relevant to older adults precisely because of the roles they play within their families.
Designing for the Whole Person, Not Just Their Age
Grandparents are not defined by a single role. Some live with their grandchildren; others maintain close relationships across the country. Some provide hundreds of hours of care; others connect primarily through phone calls and texts. Some are financial supporters, while others depend on family support themselves. Many are doing several of these things at once.
For AgeTech innovators, that complexity is worth keeping in mind. Designing for people as they age means looking beyond specifically age-related needs and recognizing the ongoing relationships, responsibilities and contributions that remain important throughout grandparents’ lives.
Technology can help older adults stay connected, lighten the practical burden of caregiving, navigate financial responsibilities and continue supporting the people they care about. Ultimately, the opportunity is not simply to help people age well — but to help them keep showing up for the people who matter most.
Explore the full AARP Research report to learn more about how grandparents are showing up for their families and the many ways those relationships make a difference.
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