Veteran's Day for an Octogenarian

Creating a reason to have a theme day is half of the fun when visiting the elderly.  Anything out of the ordinary puts them in a good mood and stimulates their mind, which leads to overall better well-being.

For our Dad we chose to make a big deal out of Veteran's Day in honor of serving our country. 

We created an invitation and mailed it to them a few days before with all the details of date and time so that they had the visual reminder. Next, we gathered red, white, and blue decorations, plates and cups so that dishes could be tossed instead of washed.  A couple of balloons were picked up on the way to their house as the centerpiece.  Finally, upon arrival, we dug out Mardi Gras beads we bought for the parents while in New Orleans on a previous trip. His were beads sporting the American Flag. Hers was a necklace featuring the good, old fashioned Wisconsin dairy cow.  Upon our arrival we discovered that they dressed themselves in the theme, too! That tells me they were looking forward to spending the day and were thing creatively; their minds were in gear and were stimulated!

Finally, a brunch included ham and home made waffles with strawberries, which, of course, fit with the color scheme of Americana.  The theme had Dad talking about his days in the Army as a hospital chief and we learned new things about his early life.  This was a visit that was different from the rest and that was the entire point. All had a good time.

Fat Saturday Celebration With The Elderly

Since we really love New Orleans we chose to create another theme day for the parents.  We could not be with them on Fat Tuesday, so we brought Fat Saturday to their home.

It started with a mailed invitation during the week describing the date, time, and theme of the day.  The invitation was on a piece of regular copy paper. Next, I used Microsoft Word to just add purple and black lettering with the pertinent details of the day.  Then, I added some stickers from the craft store with a New Orleans theme to complete the look.  Folded, addressed, and mailed, this invitation was sent to them at the beginning of the week so they could have several days to look forward to the day.

The night before the celebration I made a big pot of hot and spicy chicken and shrimp gumbo from a recipe that came from Chef Jon Besh. Click HERE to view the recipe:  Now, I love to cook so I was willing to follow the recipe. If you don't have the time or wish to take a shortcut, Zatarain's gumbo mix works well to achieve the effect, too.  I added cornbread muffins and bloody marys with shrimp to cap off the menu to match the theme.

The final touch was to bring a handful of beads we caught during the actual Mardi Gras from the year before along with a couple of party favors.  As you can see, they played along well and really go into the spirit of the day.

The best part of this event was that we could prepare all the food the day before and that we really only had to transport one pot with the gumbo in it.

 Simple, quick cleanup, and portable! Our parents never had to leave home but they were transported to Louisiana by the created environment.

Getting the Elderly Out of the House to Enjoy the Holidays

Wisconsin's bitterly cold nights do not make stepping out an easy task for the elderly.  There are some great events to experience but special care needs to be taken to 1) keep the parents warm and comfortable and 2) limit walking and standing while still getting to enjoy the holiday events around the community.

Here is how we achieved that this season.

The first was enjoying a night holiday parade in their hometown.  With floats lit up and marching bands playing Christmas tunes, we knew this would be something they would enjoy, if only we could make it convenient.

First, we packed the car full of warmth.  We loaded camping chairs, three queen sized comforters, hats, scarves, and gloves.

I also made a thermos of hot chocolate and spiked it with butterscotch schnopps to warm them from the inside out.

Next, I brought glowsticks that I turned into necklaces just to add color to the festivities.

Lastly, we fashioned a plan to prevent a bunch of walking.  I drove within 10 feet of the parade route and dropped them off.  My partner set up the chairs and blankets and got them settled in for the show. I rejoined the group and added the hats, scarves, gloves, necklaces, then made sure the blankets were tucked in tight.  Once that was situated, I poured the hot chocolate.  Mom and Dad said they hadn't seen the night parade in at least twenty years so they appreciated what a treat it was to be warm and get to enjoy a cold winter's holiday night parade again.  Mom is up for anything but Dad is the one who needs to be sold an idea.  He has come to blindly trust anything we suggest knowing that we have their comfort and best interest in mind.  This makes for some really memorable days. These two are really gems.  I tell them all the time that they are so fun to play with!

 Another fun and easy thing to do on the cold winter nights before Christmas is to take a self-guided Griswold lights tour in your neighborhood.  Where we live there are few house around the city that are over-the-top each year with lights.  Each house is quite a site!  The variety, magnitude, and the extreme colors stimulate older (and younger!) minds.  To see everything it takes about 10 minutes at each  stop to absorb what is going on at these places. So, we load up the folks and head to these houses for a light show.  About an hour of this is all they care to see so the timing here is just right for something to do.

Finally, our Botanical Gardens puts up a light display every year that grows, changes, and evolves.  While the path is an easy walk, it is cold, it is dark, there is usually a crowd of people to navigate through, and the surface is slightly uneven or slippery, depending on if there is snow.  So, to get around this, a horse drawn carriage ride is offered for an additional $5.  Since Mom and Dad can still get around remarkably well for 86, they easily boarded the carriage for the light tour.  Though the ride makes for a really quick event (about 10 minutes to ride through the display), it means they don't have to dress as bulky as they would if they were walking.  The light show is so stimulating for the elderly and as predicted, they were delighted to experience this holiday show with us.