Grandparents are an integral part of the family, yet our busy lives often push us to neglect them and even make them start doubting our love and devotion. If you feel you’ve been growing apart from your senior family members, this can be rectified quickly. Since our life is enriched with interactions with people, we love, doing things to show your grandparents you care will do great for all parties involved. Here are a few ways to make your grandparent’s day and make them feel loved, cared for and appreciated:
Visit or call
Probably the best way to show your care and love for your grandparents is to take time away from your busy schedule and visit them. It doesn’t have to be lengthy—an hour of conversation, snacks and quality time together is all it takes to make their day. This is especially important for seniors who live alone, so you can help them with their chores and make their living space more comfortable. If you live far away, technology is here to help. Pick up the phone and chat a bit with your grandparents. Talk about anything, or just listen. Simply touching base every once in a while will show your love.
Cook for them
How often has your grandma cooked some of the most memorable meals in your life? How often has your grandpa picked fresh fruit for snacks or sneaked an ice cream before dinner? Even if your grandparents still have their cooking skills down, they will appreciate you preparing a meal for them (make sure to ask about their dietary needs beforehand). If you just don’t have the time or skills to cook, take them out for a nice family date to a fancy restaurant. They will appreciate being pampered.
Surprise them with family photographs
Photographs are one of our most treasured possessions because they carry our most treasured memories. For seniors who might be struggling with their memory a bit, photos might be an excellent refresher of the things past and the people they love or loved and lost. You can easily frame some of your photos together or gift them photos of your kids or important places in your lives. If there’s a truly special date coming, you can even set one day aside to do family photography and get amazing photos with lifelong memories. The shoot is super fun and full of laughter, hugs, kisses and family shenanigans, and the results are so touching—this is a perfect surprise.
Help them with chores
You probably have a bunch of your chores to get to, but while you’re young and full of energy (well, relatively), your grandparents might not be able to keep up with home maintenance physically or mentally. They must live in a healthy, comfortable and safe environment, so ensure their house is clean and the lawn is mowed.
Plan a party
When do you think was the last time your grandparents went to a real party that didn’t end at 6 pm? It’s probably been years, maybe even decades. And there’s a big chance they were true party animals in their youth—this is probably where you get it from! So to brighten up your grandparents’ lives, organize a banger in their honour and involve a lot of dancing, music and laughter. Invite your family and friends and let everyone mingle and show off their dance moves. Everyone is guaranteed a blast, and your grandparents will be beautifully reminded of their youth and grateful for their fun senior years.
Listen to their stories
In many cases, senior people are very attached to their past and love to tell stories about their youth. And most of the time, these stories are entertaining and full of excitement, sometimes a bit sad and complex, but always educational. So land your grandpa and grandma your ear and show genuine interest in what they have to say. Even if you heard the story a few times, you’d notice how happy it makes them revisit their memories, so the least you could do is listen.
Your daily call, occasional visit and even the tiniest gesture you show to your grandparents mean the world to them. Do your best to show your love, care, respect and appreciation to beloved seniors in your life before it’s too late.
