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.