National Seniors Day

August 21st is National Seniors Day!

Are you ready?!

I am not... even though I should be.

I tell anyone who asks that I love grandparents and seniors. I do. I was raised primarily by my grandparents, and I was fortunate enough to even have spent plenty of time with my great-grandparents to still have vivid memories of them now.

I know not everyone is this lucky.

It can feel as though dementia and Alzheimer's can steal your seniors and grandparents away; let alone that time is a thief all on its own. So I am glad to have found another day to celebrate seniors and grandparents, and we all know how they enjoy being seen and included.

And it does not take anything elaborate or complicated to help someone feel good or brighten their day. Consider spending some time with them tomorrow, bring a snack or meal, or even something to do together, such as a puzzle or coloring.

Just showing up can make all the difference.

We live in a society that tells us that seniors, our elderly, do not have much to contribute anymore. But has anyone ever thought about how showing compassion, humility, truth, love, and slowing down impacts society? We cannot see any of these, yet we take the results of these invisible necessities for granted. Consider how these lead to patience, trust, reliability, and a healthy community.

Slowing down for our elderly and showing up for them does far more for us collectively than we really understand when on our own.

Throughout history, communities placed great importance on their elderly population, just as they did their children. Combining these two generations allowed wisdom to be passed down while simultaneously providing childcare, in addition to giving the next generation confidence, love, and compassion.

How can we have a society that holds compassion, truth, justice, and patience if it is not taught and integrated into our daily lives? Spending time with our seniors assists this.

While it is not recommended nor suggested that we leave any type of childcare with our loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer's, it is still important to include them and spend time with them. Just as important, it is important for our children to learn to spend time with them as well to reinforce learning patience, compassion, empathy, and love not only for our own family but for those we encounter in public places that may need a little more patience from us all.

So if you have time tomorrow, I encourage you to take an hour or two of your day to spend with your loved one and slow down for a bit.

And if you need to put it on your calendar now, Grandparent's Day is Sunday, September 7th this year.