Long after children have grown, mothers continue to have a strong influence on their children’s lives. Adult children, particularly daughters, often reach out to Mom, by phone or with a visit, when they need a sympathetic ear or the voice of experience. Research has shown that when daughters are facing challenging situations, they generally have more positive perspectives after talking with their mothers.
For both sons and daughters, keeping in touch with mothers is “the way we create bonds” and “sustain bonds,” says communications professor Michelle Miller-Day, Ph.D.
Spending meaningful time with Mom wherever you are on Mother’s Day
With the typical American adult living just 18 miles from his or her mother* (only 8 miles on average in Pennsylvania), many adult children make a special effort to visit Mom on her special day.
When visiting isn’t possible, the phone may be “the next best thing to being there,” to quote a classic ad slogan. If a video chat could be arranged, Mom would probably enjoy that face-to-face interaction even more.
The share of women living alone in the senior living years has been declining, but those who do live alone have less frequent contact with kids and grandkids. And that’s really what moms want on Mother’s Day more than anything—their family’s time and presence, whether face to face or long distance.
Ideas by moms for moms on Mother’s Day gifts
Here are some meaningful ideas suggested by moms to commemorate Mother’s Day:
- A hand-written letter (For the uninformed: It’s a newsy message on paper that is mailed to another person!)
- A box or jar containing 52 messages, one for each week of the coming year
- A current photo of the whole family
- A home-cooked meal or dinner at her favorite restaurant
- A homemade gift—it could be edible, functional or decorative.
According to Parents.com, “The gifts we will treasure forever are the homemade cards, handprints, and photo frames from our children that remind us what a blessing it truly is to be a mom.”
At Country Meadows, family-like care for all our residents
At Country Meadows Retirement Communities, we like to think that every day is Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) because we provide our residents the loving, attentive care we would want for our own parents and grandparents.
We respect the individual needs and wishes of all residents, whether living in our independent senior living facilities or our assisted living and personal care homes. For Country Meadows residents who may be challenged by dementia and its sense of isolation, our Connections Memory Support Services program helps them cope with memory loss and participate in social activities.
If you’re planning an active retirement in a senior living community in Pennsylvania or Maryland, we invite you to visit one or more of our campuses, where you will find residents with full lives in a caring, family-oriented environment. Country Meadows has 10 senior living communities in Pennsylvania (in Lancaster, Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Pittsburgh, Wyomissing, York-South, York-West, Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton) as well as a community in Frederick, Maryland. Please schedule a visit so that we can acquaint you with our broad range of services.
*Analysis by The New York Times of survey data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study
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