Retired People Are Suprisingly Open Minded

Would you think to take your 80 something folks or grandparents to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? That's exactly what we did, and it turned out to be a really fun experience not only for them, but for us and the restaurant we chose for an early dinner.

That is not to imply that ordering elaborate ethnic cuisine was easy for them in the type of restaurant where our 87 year old parents had never before set foot. They did order hamburgers, but that's not the point.  Once our food had come, they were very interested to see what we had.  In fact, they asked to try our food as it looked so good.  In the grand scheme of things, they were converted into Mexican food-lovers after the ice was broken into this whole new eating world!

In the spirit of the holiday, both parents played along with a sense of adventure.  Mexican beer was an easy switch for them.  Wearing the huge sombreros, though, I was surprised that they actually WANTED to wear them!  Light-up beer necklaces, ponchos for their beer bottles.... well, you get the picture!  

Before limiting what you "think" your gracefully-aging parent will or won't do, try it and you might all be surprised just how happy they are to expand their horizons.  I know these two sure liked it!

Studying the foreign menu carefully trying to figure out something he can recognize. Note the serious expression.

Both of these two dug right into the chips and salsa.  The beans and rice were also devoured with pleasure.

What started out as a really different experience for them turned out to be... well.... facebook page-worthy for the restaurant!  These faces were the Cinco de Mayo fans of the day for this restaurant!

 

29 Activity Ideas for the Elderly - They Like Change, Too

When most think of entertainment, meals, or gifts for their elderly parents they tend to gravitate towards something familiar, tried and true.  My siblings are included.  What I came to realize as I injected the things I liked to do into my visits with the parents was that we were all having fun instead of just making the obligatory, heavy, typical visit.  No one really wants to visit their parents if it always the same old thing.  By incorporating activities into the visits our parents were stimulated, engaged, and mentally healthier making each visit unique and memorable for all of us.

Being the youngest of the family and most free-spirited, I never bought into the idea of familiar when it came to my Dad.  It is really surprising how much the older generation of today enjoys change; something different.  My sweet in-laws are no different.

Here are a few of the ideas that were tossed out to them and were heartily embraced, all of which were done after the age of 80.  The siblings were in shock that their parents were still very much alive and young at heart, engaged in their own lives! 

• Wearing denim shorts for the first time in 30 years.
• My Dad wanted to shop for clothes for the first time in his life.
• Wine tasting at multiple wineries for wines they never sampled before.
• Eating humus, creme' brulee', and Mexican food for the first time.
• Diving into Thai food for the first time.
• A weekend roadtrip to go to a festival.
• Visiting museums that they had driven past for decades.
• Me and a few sibs took my Dad to Hooters and The Tilted Kilt after my mother passed away. 
• Colored Easter Eggs.
• Help bake Christmas cookies all day.
• Brewery tour and tasting.
• Wrap gifts.
• Attend a professional sporting event.
• Tailgate.
• Crashed a birthday party.
• Get an email address and learn to use a computer and iPad.
• Take photos for the first time in 50 years.
• Ride a rollercoaster and water rides.
• Gamble.
• Watch a drag show in Las Vegas.
• Go to a comedy club.
• Receive a professional shoulder massage for the first time.
• Take them to an adult gameroom.
• Shoot pool.
• Pick apples at an orchard.
• Walk through a woods at a leisurely pace.
• Shop for a new car.
• Shop for a new house or apartment.
• Go to see a movie at a theater.

What ideas have you done with your parents that is unexpected and out of the box of a typical elderly person's day?   I would love to learn what you do that inspires you and your aging parents!

Retro, Nostalgic Birthdays for the Elderly

Last year, when it came to a low-cost, meaningful birthday for Mom-in-law's 86th, I chose to harken back to the days of my youth and relived what I would do if I was a kid to celebrate a birthday.

I went to a party store and bought several feet of table paper covering (I chose green since that is Mom's favorite color).  Mustering my inner amateur artist I proceeded to make a giant "Happy Birthday Mom" sign that would cover a fence that Mom sees when she looks out her kitchen window.

In the week before her birthday I asked her what her favorite all-time cake was. She gladly replied that her fave was one she made for years but hadn't made it for many years.  She then promptly pulled out her recipe to share.  I took a picture of that recipe so I could make that cake as a birthday cake.  Her daughters live in other states so, really, she didn't have the benefit of enjoying holidays or birthdays with the special attention that a mother deserves, so I took it upon myself to make up for lost time.  My in-laws are SO good to me (us).  They so crave time and attention that they simply are game for anything at all that we plan for them.  This leaves us lots of room for creativity for planning days in, or days out on roadtrips.  We are also very lucky that both of them are healthy and mobile well into their 80's.

December is a cold month here in Wisconsin but we still proceeded to cooked some simple food on the grill outside as the main dish and served it with her favorite chilled red moscoto wine. Grilling outside reduces the cleanup and dishes.

As several of us gathered around to celebrate, Mom was in heaven with a day built around some of her fondest memories!

For the sign, all I needed was an ultra-thick sharpie, 15' of paper table covering, and a staple gun. That's it!

By the way, no one cares if your sign isn't perfect. In fact, the less perfect it is the more endearing it becomes because it shows that you proceeded to put effort into something for them that was not necessarily your strong suit.  You have nothing to loose so go ahead - channel your creative goddess and write your message big and bold!  You will be rewarded with heartfelt smiles and a happy visiting session for the occasion.