Posted on 07/22/2013 11:13:30 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
I need help from fellow FReepers. My mother is living in assisted living 2500 miles from me. She will turn 100 in August, and I need ideas on how to help her celebrate.
She is mentally sharp, but she is declining physically. She is confined to a wheel chair, or a walker, now and her hearing is quite impaired. Consequently, she does not like more than one, or two people in the room with her at the same time; and she just gets furious if people talk to each other in her presence.I think the sounds get all jumbled and she can't make sense of them.
I have tickets to travel to be with her for her birthday. What kind of party and what kind of recognitions should I plan? I don't think that any of her 4 grandchildren, or 12 great grandchildren, can travel to be with her for the occasion. They live even farther away than I do and have been beset with all of the problems young adults have -- college, unemployment, etc. They are all working again, but I'm sure that they have no vacation hours due. I'm asking them to send nice pictures and cards.
She does have nieces and nephews who live in her vicinity who probably could make it to a party, although I know she wouldn't want anything large. She also has a few friends.
Does anybody here in FReeperland have any experience in planning a party for an elderly person? If I ask her, she'll say that she doesn't want anything, yet I know that she'll be insulted if I don't plan something.
Thanks in advance for any ideas you can share.
Don’t make her blow out the candles.
Maybe ask for a card shower? Put ad in the Celebrations/Society pages a couple weeks ahead of the date (in the location where she lives and anywhere she might have lived for some length of time) and ask people to send birthday cards to her at an address you provide.
/johnny
I think you could write the White House and President Obama will send her a card with his own signature on it
That way she can keep her conversations direct and personal, but a big fuss can be made by everyone at the appropriate time.
Maybe send Laz to do it
I was going to say you could hire 70 year old Geraldo Rivera as a stripper but I decided that would be too crude, so I won’t mention it here.
That’s a great idea. I can’t do it in the local paper, however, because she reads it cover to cover on a daily basis. But, I could place an announcement about her party with a picture to run AFTER her birthday.
I’ve gotten a series of ‘old-timey’ pictures that are going around. Would she enjoy seeing pictures of how things were in her youth? Maybe music from that era?
If I happen to make it to 100, I’ll be happy with lots and lots of chocolate. But that’s good every year!
LOL, that’s what I was going to say. That’s twice today on FR I was too late. I was thinking about the movie Talladega Nights and the bar scene.
Photo Album. Photo album record of the day.
This might be controversial but you can request the President send a birthday card. My friend who turned 100 had a complaint about the day. It was way too busy, too much stimuli for one day. They had a carry in dinner at her complex, then all her family came, many people brought her food, more than could be eaten. So I would say avoid over planning.
But the photo albums she went through every day.
That’s a great idea. I like the side room aspect. It’s impossible to keep people from talking to each other, especially when they haven’t seen each other for a long time.
The day before, send a pedicurist over. That’s always a treat.
I bet she does not read FaceBook. Have some of the children and grandchildren put something on their FB pages? Maybe one of the people could receive the cards at a PO box of business address?
Keep it simple. Before hand, make up two photo albums....one going as far back as you have pictures and another with a picture of each person who will be there, with a personal note from each and something about them. If you can, write a short biography, with events from her life and world events, cutltural things, and inventions at each point.
Well, Obama is not shy about asking her for money. I get her mail, and I just toss his messages in the trash.
We don’t discuss politics because I think she voted for him and it makes me furious. I suppose I could write and ask. I’m probably too late. I thought you had to ask for those cards 2 months in advance, but I’ll give it a try.
I think you could write the White House and President Obama will send her a card with his own signature on it
I know a lady who turned 100 in 2012. She heard that one of her grandchildren was going to request one of those signed cards and she said “No way do I want anything from that horrible man”.
That’s good and I think works out with her schedule. He birthday is on a Thursday, and I think the beauty gal comes to her residence on Wednesdays.
You need to hire mimes for the entertainment...
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