Honor Our Elders and Celebrate Joyful Moments

By Mark Cortes, Executive Director, Mariposa at Ellwood Shores 

Now that the closures of the pandemic have waned many are returning to regular schedules and making up for missed travel. I would like to remind everyone that it’s easy to forget that our elders took the brunt of illness during the pandemic. Especially those who lived alone in isolation from friends and family. For those who lived in residential senior housing, it was also a different time for people.

For instance, our community teams worked tirelessly to maintain a connection between residents and their families through virtual communication, and we had to be especially creative in providing door-to-door activities to keep their spirits high.

It’s with this in mind that I would like to ask everyone in the community to take a few moments out of their busy schedule during the week of September 11-17 to honor an elder. This is an important week in the senior living community -- National Assisted Living Week. This year’s theme is “Joyful Moments”. This theme is especially meaningful given the past two years and it encourages everyone to find happiness, joy, and fulfillment in both the big and small moments in life.

Whether a senior lives in your home, your neighborhood, or in a senior living community, this is the time to let them know that you care. We suggest a simple gesture such as writing a card of appreciation or a small token such as giving a plant, or a flower, or dropping off treats to a senior living facility.

As someone who works daily with the senior population, I can tell you that a little kindness goes a long way to making a person happy. So please consider making Joyful Moments for our elders from Sept. 11th through 17th.