Once I was in a rest home when a visitor showed up with a baby. She was immediately surrounded. Even people who'd seemed comatose woke up to watch the baby. People who hadn't gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. A group of residents with infectious illnesses pressed their faces against a window to see the baby.
Most grandchildren receive a feeling of security and continuity from grandparents.
Grandchildren speak of attention that they don't get from harried parents. They are quieter, calmer, more trusting. I had an artist acquaintance who always sought truth far from home in ashrams and workshops. Just as Maeve was leaving for Europe one summer, her grandmother became ill. The family asked Maeve to care for her.