Support local seniors by helping with ‘Adopt a Grandparent Day’

Often what’s called the ‘golden years’ of life aren’t so golden. On average, 60 percent of residents in senior care facilities don’t get any visits from friends or family members, but it was a first-hand encounter that prompted a South Mississippi business woman to take action and rally the community to honor our elderly here in South Mississippi.

Kathy Rogers said, “My mother lived with us for several years. While she was here, she fell and hurt herself, and she ended up spending 30 days in a nursing home. While we were there we began to notice that people were lonely. People were lining up to visit with my husband when he came through the same time every day. When she came back, we were looking for a way as a business to give back to our local community. We came up with the idea to organize people to visit with our local nursing home residents.”

And this is how the local nonprofit ‘Adopt a Grandparent’ was born back in 2014. Since then, the day has been set aside each year to honor South Mississippi’s elderly, reaching more than 1,500 residents at 35 local senior care facilities.

Although there are a few changes this year due to COVID, the mission remains the same and you can show a local senior support without even leaving your home this year. “Normally on our event we have volunteers who go into the facilities. But this year, of course, for health reasons, the volunteers will not be able to go into the facility, so we still want to make a difference. What we’re doing this year is we’re asking people to send us cards, letters, and drawings. We’re going to take those items and laminate them. That way the facilities can sanitize those items so they can distribute them to the residents. We’re also going to do a treasure box.”

You can also help fill one of those 35 treasure boxes. “Easiest way is just go to our Facebook page. There’s a link directly to our Amazon wish list. When you click on that, just go through and choose the items you want to purchase. You pay for them and they are shipped directly to us. All you have to do is just help us buy the items.”

For more information head over to their Facebook page at ‘Adopt a Grandparent Day.’ The deadline for donations is August 21^st. ‘Adopt a Grandparent Day’ this year is on Saturday, September 12^th.