In the middle of winter, it’s nice to warm our hearts with a day that celebrates love and friendship. Though we tend to think of Valentine’s Day as one of romance, it began as a day to honor saints. The romantic association came later, and while it remains the holiday’s focus, we now recognize love of all kinds on Valentine’s Day.
Seniors are no different, as most look forward to observing the day of love in some way. Having grown up giving valentines to classmates and later celebrating the day with a sweetheart, they enjoy keeping long-standing traditions or starting new ones if they move to senior living communities.
Residents of senior living communities celebrate the day of love
At Country Meadows Retirement Communities, residents at all care levels on our 11 campuses attend parties, savor heart-themed cakes and cookies, and participate in special crafts.
Here is a closer look at what our senior living communities do to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
- King and Queen selections by residents, with flowers and chocolates for winners
- Valentine’s Day dinners, including gourmet meals, wine or champagne, candlelight, live music, red and white linens, flowers, and candy as favors
- Valentine’s Day socials with valentine-themed trivia, singalongs, snacks and beverages
- Creatively crafting homemade valentines
- A newlywed game at one campus and a Sadie Hawkins dance at another
Some of our locations also engage in outreach efforts for Valentine’s Day. For example, at our senior living community in Allentown, residents have made homemade valentines for distribution in person to local elementary school students.
We recognize that the holiday may be a difficult time for some of our seniors. It can trigger loneliness or sadness by eliciting memories of happy times spent with their partner, who is no longer with them. To help those persons, we try to involve them in social activities with friends, particularly ones that help them meet others’ needs.
If you visit a senior friend or relative on Valentine’s Day, here are a few ideas to celebrate the day.
- Go to their favorite restaurant or cook their favorite meal
- Make valentines together to give to loved ones
- Look over old cards, letters and photos, and reminisce together
- Watch classic romantic movies
- Hold a family party
- Help someone in need by partnering on a volunteer project
Senior living communities keep residents active every day
Active senior living communities, such as Country Meadows, offer a community lifestyle through programs and services that provide a positive environment, fellowship and a personal sense of accomplishment. We invite you to read about the benefits of socialization at a retirement community.
These benefits meet the needs of those living in our senior independent living communities as well as those in our personal care and assisted living 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 as much as possible.
If you’re planning an active retirement in a senior living community in Pennsylvania or Maryland, we hope you will visit one or more of our campuses, where you will find residents with full lives in a family-oriented, caring 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 vast array of services.
Country Meadows
