Senior Sweethearts

For many people, the month of February centers around Valentine’s Day (thank you Hallmark). It is a time for couples, both young and old, to reconnect and share memories together. However, for many elderly couples, dementia and Alzheimer’s make the trip down memory lane difficult.

Many elderly end up in nursing homes or other care facilities due to both physical and mental illnesses. Most of those patients, some more needy than others, receive little more than their basic needs. Days like Valentines Day can be a special day for this population of aging friends and family. I recently noted from a colleague’s article that in one care facility “over a patient’s bed a sign reads, ‘I Am Somebody’s Sweetheart,’ as if to say I once dreamed, lived and loved, please treat me kindly.”

Many assisted living facilities are beginning to branch out in their treatments for those patients suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. They have started to bring music, art, and dance into their programs in order to better reach out to their patients. We applaud those new efforts.

Make Valentines Day a little special for a senior you know.