When you become a senior, one problem you face is not having much contact with your children and grandchildren. As you can imagine, things can get pretty lonely if that happens, especially if you don’t have many friends or can’t go out much due to mobility issues.
You’re probably reading this because you have grandparents, and you feel like you haven’t done enough to show them how much they mean to you. The truth is, many people have busy lifestyles, and their extended families seldom get thought about.
If you want to be more involved in the lives of your grandparents, the following inspirational ideas will help you to achieve that goal:
1. Help With Their Care Needs
Sometimes seniors find it hard to do certain daily activities due to chronic medical conditions. You could help make your grandparents’ lives easier by offering to help with some of their care needs.
For example, you could offer to go grocery shopping for them, do their laundry, or mow their lawn during the summer months.
If your grandparents struggle to lead their lives at home, it might be worth talking to them about moving into a nursing home. Undeniably, it’s a big change for them, so it’s worth taking the time to discuss their options and visiting a few local nursing homes.
One tip to keep in mind from industry professionals and empathetic nursing home abuse attorneys is to research a potential nursing home’s history and review their track records with their clients. After all: you want your grandparents to live in a safe and caring environment.
2. Include Them In Your Family Events
There’s no denying that grandparents love playing an active role in the lives of their children and grandkids. If you feel that you don’t spend much time with your grandparents, consider including them in some of your family’s events.
For instance, this might involve going on a day trip to the coast or even having a family barbecue in your backyard. Such activities will help your grandparents be happy and enhance their golden years.
Make sure you consider any potential problems like mobility issues and accessibility to any venues you all visit together. That way, you can guarantee that everyone will have an enjoyable time together.
3. Have Regular Video Calls With Them
If your grandparents live far away from you, another way to play an active role in their lives is by having regular video chats with them. You could offer to buy them a tablet device and show them how to use it for video calls, and then arrange regular video chats with them.
Video calls are undoubtedly an excellent way to see and hear loved ones without physically being there with them. They were a boon during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they’ll continue to be a popular communications medium for families.
4. Send Them Care Packages
Some people’s grandparents rarely venture out of their homes for various reasons. In those situations, they might miss out on getting things like their favorite coffee or magazines. One way to show you care is by sending them care packages with their favorite items in them.
Even if you lived near your grandparents, you could surprise them by having a delivery company transport your care packages to them. Otherwise, you could bring them with you on your next visit.
5. Buy Them Some Artwork
Do your grandparents have a love of fine arts? If so, one way to put a smile on their faces is by surprising them with some artwork that you think they will love. If you know they love the work of specific artists, you could choose some paintings for your grandparents.
You could have that artwork framed and present them to your grandparents while watching their reactions! Artwork is something anyone can enjoy all the time, and your grandparents will ultimately think about you whenever they see the artwork you’ve gifted them.
6. Help Transform Their Garden
For various reasons, seniors might not tend to their outdoor spaces and their gardens can end up looking somewhat wild! With that in mind, you could offer to help transform their garden into a serene and enjoyable outdoor space.
Mowing the lawn and getting rid of weeds can cause a dramatic transformation in itself. But, you can also beautify the garden even further by adding some plants and other decorative items. It’s a project you can even do together.
