Given that society is changing and various economic and macro-social changes are taking place in the family, the phenomenon of the family and its role in the family is being studied more and more. Grandparents play an important role in the lives of their grandchildren and their own children. They provide them with support, comfort, family knowledge and the role of a surrogate parent. The aim of this paper is to present, summarize and problematize scientific knowledge about the influence of grandparents on grandchildren and the family, their influence on the development of their own grandchildren, the roles of grandparents in the upbringing of grandchildren, but also the roles they ascribe to themselves and the problems they face in individual roles. They provide different types and forms of support to their grandchildren, from emotional support to formal support when they are foster parents of their own grandchildren. The paper will summarize the problem of providing insufficient support to grandparents who have found themselves in a particular role, but have a hard time coping with it. Consequently, it is important to establish various policies and support programs for elderly people who have been given the role of grandparents so that they can face it more easily and so that they can continue to maintain their quality of life and their mental and physical health.