It is estimated that 17 million seniors in the United States spend Valentine’s Day alone every year. We, at VIP America, decided 2 years ago to combat the feeling of loneliness that they experience as much as we can by creating a Love Notes & Roses campaign. This involved bringing the community together to deliver hand crafted Valentine’s Day cards and purchasing roses to deliver to the elder community throughout the 16 counties we service. For more information on this program please click here for 2020 and here for 2021.
Activities for Active Hearts and Minds
Though we are striving to ensure every senior citizen receives a Love Note & Rose, it is impossible for us to deliver these to everyone in need. Due to this, we feel it is important to provide a list of ideas for activities that can be completed with seniors.
- Word Search/Scramble: Word Searches keep the mind young! It also comes with various other benefits such as socialization, stimulates new learning, and self-esteem.
- Bingo: One of the most loved activities for seniors is Bingo! Make Bingo on this day a unique one by using Valentine’s Day related Bingo card.
- Painting: Art therapy encourages interaction and trust. Afterwards, hang your paintings on the wall so they can always be reminded of the time spent together!
- Baking Sweet Treats: Homemade cooking is always a healthier option than store bought goods. What better way to celebrate this lovely holiday than some sweet treats that can be shared amongst family and friends? This may not be the best option for diabetics but could be a potential opportunity to contact Treasure Coast Community Health and see how you could assist others who are trying to navigate how to celebrate holidays around their diabetes.
- Visit Local Senior Centers: Florida is blessed to have multiple senior centers available locally as a place where seniors can go and enjoy themselves with others. Most also provide transportation to and from the center itself. With various activities available throughout the week, this is a great opportunity for a senior to never feel alone again. Some local centers that we personally partner with are The Kane Center, Wickham Park Senior Center, Senior Friendship Centers and many more!!
We’re Here to Help
There is no reason for a senior to spend Valentine’s Day alone. If you know of someone who is alone and can benefit from having a companion close to them, we can help with this. If you have any additional ideas, or thoughts concerning how we can better assist seniors on this day; or if you know of someone who is alone and can benefit from having a companion close to them, we can help. Feel free to give us a call at 888-343-9205. We have staff available 24/7 to assist. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
