A young woman has shared the reality of what it’s like to be a grandfather from the post-war generation.
In a TikTok video shared by Carensa Snijders, 29, he can be seen eating. The text layered over it says: “My 98-year-old grandfather just looked at me and said, ‘Your mother, your sister, and you… you’re the only people left in this world who love me.'”
This heartbreaking statement has accumulated 7 million views on TikTok (@cfrederiques) and 1.8 million likes.
Carensa Snijders/TikTok/@cfrederiques
Snijders told Newsweek: “What he said in the video really hit me. It made me realize how fortunate I am not to have experienced that kind of loneliness (yet).
“It also made me realize how socially rich of a person he was.”
Snijders, who lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said her grandpa, called Rien, is determined to make it to 100 years old.
According to Statista, in 2016 there were 82,000 centenarians in the United States. This figure is expected to increase to 589,000 by the year 2060.
“Mentally, he’s healthy and strong, and physically he’s doing all right too, though he struggles with his knees, one deaf ear, and poor eyesight (which he insists is just ‘a minor inconvenience’),” she said.
“Despite all that, he’s still fiercely independent. He does his own grocery shopping (the cashiers adore him), does his own laundry, and still likes to be in control of his daily routine.”
Alongside this, he has help from a cleaner and remaining family members who visit him weekly.
Snijders told Newsweek that her grandma passed away years ago, as did all of his friends. He tragically had to bury his son in 2023.
“But even after all of that, he continues to find joy and meaning in life,” she said.
The video received almost 10,000 comments.
Snijders said: “I received so many other heartfelt comments from people, both young and old, who have experienced loneliness or loss. It really opened my eyes to how widespread the feeling of loneliness is in our society.
“Connection matters at every age. Sometimes just being there, sitting next to someone, sharing a laugh, listening to their stories can mean the world. And although a positive mindset can keep you young at heart, even the strongest people still need others around them.”
“Ugh, that’s a very scary thought. Imagine being at all your friends’ funerals, but none of your friends will be at yours,” commented one user. Another wrote: “At my grandma’s funeral, the priest said that the reason her gathering was so small is that she had so many waiting on her in heaven. It gutted me.”
“I think about my grannie all the time. She’s 94. She’s lost all her grandparents, her parents, her brother, her sister, her son, her friends, and wider family. I can’t imagine going through all that loss,” said a third commenter.
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