This past holiday weekend saw the beginning of the annual parade of visitors to the nursing home I work at. Over the next 30 days, we will be inundated with church groups, scout groups, and civic organizations all doing their part to make the holidays a little nicer for our residents. I don’t have a problem with this at all. The residents enjoy it, the staff doesn’t seem to mind and it makes people feel like they are doing something nice for someone else. I do however have a couple of questions for all of these holiday time visitors:
Where are you the OTHER 335 days of the year? Do you think our residents hibernate between the months of January and November? Is December the ONLY time of the year you can make time to visit?
Come see them during February when the weather is awful and they can’t sit outside. Just come by and offer to play cards, or help with crafts.
Organize a group from your church or garden club to come by in the spring and help our residents plant a flower or vegetable garden. The memory will last longer than your crappy carol singing back in December.
Come during the summer and offer to help with a cookout or other event on the 4th of July.
Drop by on Veterans Day and bring flags to decorate and spend some time visiting with the veterans who live here.
Our residents are here 12 months of the year. Not just the 30 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Stop by more often. You might just find it as enjoyable as the residents would.
