By: Marcie Droll-Durian

When I think of February one of the first things that comes to mind of course is Valentine’s Day!  At our house, it is really just another day.  We don’t get too caught up in gifts or doing something fancy, but we always acknowledge it, and one another as husband and wife.  I can’t imagine not telling my husband that I love him on any day, let alone Valentine’s Day.

As I think of all of my grandparents whom have now all passed, I think about the years that they were separated after one had died.  My Grandma that just passed last month had been a widow before she was 60 years old, and without my Grandpa for almost 40 years.  I had never stopped to think about a day like Valentine’s Day over all of these years, and how that day may have made her feel.

With that thought, I think about what we can do for our Seniors to acknowledge and celebrate that day, especially if they are alone.  Maybe a nice lunch or dinner out, or a heart shaped cake or cookies as a special treat with a nice card.  Of course, everyone loves to receive flowers!  Maybe they would just like to share with you a special Valentine’s Day memory of their special love.

Sometimes as our loved one’s age, we may forget that they are still human, they love, they want to feel loved, they have special places in their hearts for the one that they may or may not have been blessed to grow old with.  That is one thing that I always notice and enjoy when visiting seniors and senior communities.  The pictures of what they are and were throughout their life!  Not just now as they are frailer or maybe more forgetful.  They were a young soldier, or a young wife in a picture with their babies and husband who had come home from war, they were a dashing groom with his beautiful bride!  They raised a family and had their first grandbaby at one time!  They loved, and they lived a life!  In fact, they still have those feelings inside, and celebrating with them on Valentine’s Day is just a small token of what you can do to tell them thank you and make the day special for them!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

LivWell Seniors serves as a local agency providing community-based resources that are 100% free to seniors and their families. They are funded by the senior care providers that utilize their service and network of connections. For further information, contact us at 563-265-1577, or visit our website at www.livwellseniors.com.

“The gift of friendship… a willingness to listen, a pair of helping hands, a whisper from the heart. That someone cares and understands.”