Boomer and Senior News For Those Caring For Elderly Parents: 7 Ways to Practice Random Acts of Kindness

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Important Baby Boomer news is that it’s Practice Random Acts of Kindness Week. Why is that important? As those of us in the Sandwich Generation, dealing with the issues of caring for the elderly parents in our family while babysitting grandchildren, can tell you – life is getting more stressful by the second! That’s true for everyone, and especially for those of us juggling non-stop! But following the Biblical principles to be kind to others, to do to others what we would have them do to us, and to show love to whomever God puts in our lives has been shown to lower stress which is doubly important for all of us caregivers – boomers AND young seniors! 

Need some ideas? How about –

1. Call a senior long distance to chat. Remind the kids and grandkids to call periodically too – our time is often so busy, and that can easily put put at the bottom of our to-do list. But it makes the day so much brighter for those who aren’t so busy. My senior mom loves to get phone calls from the grandkids and great-grandkids on her Jitterbug cell phone. We used to have to call and ask the nursing home staff to run one of their phones to a patient for us to be able to encourage a sweet elderly relative – and they were always so nice and glad to do it because they knew how important it was to the patient’s mental and emotional well-being.
2. Bring home a tasty, but healthy treat (MUFAs, maybe) for the senior citizens who live with you.
3. If you spot a magazine that appeals to the interests of your senior parent, snap that up or make a note to pick it up for them at the library
4. Take walks regularly with your local senior parents – that’s a great way to Practice Random Acts of Kindness that blesses you as much as them – both for the good company and the good exercise. And don’t worry, even if it’s slow, it’s still good exercise.
5. When you head to the grocery store with a senior parent, budget in time for a “date” for lunch or dinner. Dating senior parents (and grandkids) is just as valuable as dating your sweet spouse (make sure you schedule that in regularly as well – my kids still mention all my dates with their dad. With him in heaven for over ten years, I wish we’d done it even MORE often!)
6. Leave a sweet note for them in the kitchen, along with the morning newspaper
7. Bring home flowers even when it’s NOT a holiday – or if your senior parent loves gardening like my mom, make it flower seeds or a potted plant for the back yard

Now it’s your turn. Got any creative ideas or suggestions for ways to Practice Random Acts of Kindness for fellow members of the Sandwich Generation, caring for elderly parents? We’d love to hear. It’s always GOOD NEWS to find new ways to encourage those we love. And isn’t it wonderful to remember encouraging Bible verses that tell us, “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure -pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”  Now that’s de-stressing Good News for all us boomers and the seniors we love, isn’t it? 🙂

Kaye

Updated 2017