National Senior Citizens Day – Honoring Our Elderly

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Older adults have done much for their families, society, and community. Let’s find out various ways to celebrate National Senior Citizens Day with older adults in this article.

Do you have an older person at home whom you love and appreciate? If yes, then National Senior Citizen’s Day, i.e., August 21, is the day to tell your aging parents or older adults at home how much you love and care for them.

Older adults are a fountain of wisdom and knowledge, which you may otherwise take a lifetime to learn. So you should not put them aside after they reach a certain age. You must take care of their health and find ways not to make them feel isolated.

National Senior Citizens Day

National Senior Citizens Day is an opportunity to recognize their accomplishments and contribution to your family and society to make it better. 

In honor of this day, you can also call your grandparents, old brother, sister, high school teacher, or older adult staying in your neighborhood and tell them that you appreciate everything they have done to make your life better.

Another option is to visit any old age home and share your smile with someone who hardly receives any visitors. Keep reading this article to learn more about National Senior Citizens Day. I will share a few ideas that will help you celebrate this day with your loved older adults.

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History Of National Senior Citizens Day

The history of National Senior citizen’s day dates back to 1988. President Ronald Reagan realized the importance of older adults in society and decided to honor them. He signed proclamation 5847 and declared August 21 as National senior citizens day.

The celebration took place for the first time in 1991 in the United States. This day intends to increase awareness of the issues like health deterioration, loneliness, depression that affect older adults primarily. It is also a day to support, honor, and recognize their accomplishments.

Reagan himself set an example for society. He was 69 years 349 days when he was elected as the president of the United States in 1981. Reagan was the oldest person to be elected as president and the oldest when his term ended in 1989. 

He held this distinction till 2017 when Donald Trump was elected as President of the U.S at 70.

And now, Joe Biden has gone almost a decade higher by being elected as the president of the United States of America at the ripe, mature age of 78.

Most American presidents have an excellent record of long life and contribution to society. But presidents are not the only ones whose lifespan is noteworthy.

According to the U.S Census Bureau, more than 54 million older adults above 65 years old live in the United States, 16.5 percent of the nation’s population. 

National Senior Citizens Day

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Forbes Magazine predicts that there will be 78 million older adults in America by 2035, surpassing the population of people above 18 years old.

Many old citizens in America live longer because of improved healthcare and technological advancements. They are even working as political leaders and other fields after 65, indicating their contribution to family and society.

So we should all celebrate August 21 each year by honoring the senior citizens in our life.

Celebrating National Senior Citizens Day With Your Loved Ones

You can celebrate National Citizen’s day with your loved one in various ways. I am sharing a few ideas to make fun and memorable for old adults in your family.

#1. Visit Your Parents Or Grandparents

Your daily life might be busy, making it impossible to spend quality time with your family members. Your old parents or grandparents may live in another state, which makes them feel isolated and increases the risk of various diseases like dementia, cognitive disorder, and others. 

However, even visiting once a year is quite beneficial for their physical and mental health. National senior citizen’s day is an excellent opportunity to spend time with older adults in your family. 

You can plan a surprise visit and take them out on that day, or you can stay inside and enjoy a cup of tea with them. I am sure that these things will make their day.

#2. Take Benefit Of Discounts

Some retailers give discounts for senior people on purchasing some items on National senior citizen’s day. You can take your older adults home for shopping. It will be an excellent opportunity to spend time together.

#3. Host A Party To Celebrate

You can host a party at home to celebrate National Senior citizen’s day. Having a party in honor of senior people at home will make them feel unique, valuable and help in increasing their self-esteem. 

You can invite your friends or other family members. Try to prepare some special food for them or play their favorite music. You can bake a cake for older family members at your home and ask them to cut the cake when every guest arrives at home, which will make them feel special.

National Senior Citizens Day

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#4. Start A Family History Project

The older adults in your family would likely know quite a bit about your family history. So you can use their knowledge to learn more about your great grandparents and other ancestors. It would be a great occasion to start a family tree for posterity’s sake.

It’s an excellent opportunity to keep them busy, which is beneficial for their physical and mental health. 

Try to listen to their stories with patience. You can even record these conversations and preserve them for the next generation. 

It will even help you connect with some of your lost relatives in the family. You can go through old photos and create a memory book that can be passed to the next generation.

#5. Help Them To Do Something Special

Is there something your older family member at home always wanted to do? If yes, then you can help them in completing the task. 

The completion of their small wishes will add tremendous value to their life. You can also help them do household chores like laundry, preparing food, or washing their car.

#6. Play Games Or Complete Puzzles Together

Loneliness is one of the major problems in the older family members of a family. Most old adults struggle to cope with physical and mental changes with age and chronic illness. These changes hinder older people from participating in various activities they were once enjoying. 

National Senior citizen’s day is an excellent opportunity to sit and spend some quality time with them. You can play different games like chess and video games or complete various puzzles that help exercise their brain, which is essential for developing their mental health.

#7. Ask Them To Dance

You can ask your older family members to dance by playing their favorite music. The combination of slight physical touch, upbeat music, and your smile will make their day.

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#8. Participate In A Health Programme

There are various health organizations and hospitals in the United States which conduct health programs on National Senior Citizens day where they discuss related health problems of old age and give various health tips to stay fit and healthy. 

You can take your senior family member to attend these organizations to gain knowledge and talk with other people and have their health checked at the same time.

National Senior Citizens Day

Wrap Up

Your parents have done a lot of hard work for you and your siblings. So they deserve pampering all the time, especially on National senior citizen’s day. I hope the above ideas will be helpful to make this day memorable for your older adults at home.

Please share your own stories and experiences of how you celebrated this holiday with your older adults! We would love to see the pictures of smiling faces.