In 1988, President Ronald Reagan first declared August 21st as National Senior Citizens Day. The day is set aside to reflect, celebrate, and honor how much senior citizens have achieved for their families, communities, and country.
According to Reagan’s original proclamation, “For all they have achieved throughout life and for all they continue to accomplish, we owe older citizens our thanks and a heartfelt salute. We can best demonstrate our gratitude and esteem by making sure that our communities are good places in which to mature and grow older — places in which older people can participate to the fullest and can find the encouragement, acceptance, assistance, and services they need to continue to lead lives of independence and dignity.”
With National Senior Citizens Day just around the corner, here’s how your funeral home can help bring your community together to honor our local seniors.
Encourage Families to Capture their Family History
Encourage younger family members to sit down with their relatives and start a family history project. This gives seniors the invaluable opportunity to share their wisdom and create a sense of connection with children and grandchildren. It also provides the family a unique chance to collect stories, photos, and preserve special memories.
For ways to help families capture memories and stories, check out this article on six tools to help document and preserve family stories.
Host a Lunch/Dinner Party to Celebrate
Show your appreciation for seniors by hosting a lunch or dinner party. Invite local seniors, their family, and friends, and offer them a day of free food and entertainment. You also can honor specific seniors who’ve achieved certain milestones in your community.
Check out our free guide for advice on how to organize and market events for your funeral home.
Make a Donation
Your funeral home also can make a donation or organize a fundraiser for senior centers and assisted living facilities in your community.
It doesn’t have to be just about money either. For example, many senior centers have had the same reading material laying around for years. Consider donating books or magazines to update their reading list.
Organize a Volunteer Group to Visit a Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility
You also can donate your time. Seniors — especially those without regular visitors — will appreciate if you take the time to visit them at a senior center or assisted living facility. Organize a group of volunteers to spend the day visiting a local center. You can even partner with local organizations to help spread the word about your activity.
Send Out Cards
Even a small gesture — such as sending out a handwritten card — is a great way to show your appreciation for seniors in your community. Send a card out wishing them a happy National Senior Citizens Day and thank them for all they’ve accomplished in your community.
Host a Seminar
Another way to show your appreciation is to host a seminar on topics that are important to seniors. Some ideas for an educational seminar include:
- The importance of preplanning
- How to personalize a funeral
- Different funeral and memorial options
- How to organize important documents
How do you plan on celebrating National Senior Citizens Day? Share your ideas with us in the comments below!
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