Staying Connected during National Card and Letter Writing Month

By Jamie Shapiro | March 31, 2016 | Comments Off on Staying Connected during National Card and Letter Writing Month

Elderly Care in Lake Forest IL

In a world that is increasing reliant on technology, personal connections seem to be more and more rare. Many young people today have never even received a handwritten letter from someone who they care about. While many may argue that today’s methods of staying connected, including text messaging, emailing, and the use of social media, is faster and more efficient than traditional letter writing, fast does not always mean best. The very act of writing a letter and sending it makes the message far more personal. When you send a letter to someone you are sending a little bit of yourself to that other person. Not only does the handwriting itself mean more because you created it with your own hand, but it means that you took more time to write the letter and thought through each word. This can be an especially meaningful activity for your aging parent. Writing letters is cognitively stimulating and boosts mental and emotional health. It also makes your parent feel more connected to those she cares about.

April is National Card and Letter Writing Month. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make writing letters a beneficial part of your parent’s elderly care routine. Whether she does it with you or with her elderly health care services provider, this activity can help to keep her mind sharper and more active.

 

Let these ideas inspire you to enjoy celebrating National Card and Letter Writing Month as part of your elderly care journey with your aging loved one:

  • Reconnect with friends and family. You might think that it would be easier for your parent to just reach out to old friends and family members who they may not have spoken to recently through social media. While this might be the fastest way to get in touch, writing letters will be much more meaningful for everyone involved. Encourage your parent to start writing letters to these people to update them on her life and find out about them.
  • Connect with your children. Children love getting mail. Even if your parent lives only a few minutes away, encourage her to write to your children. When they receive the letter, make sure that they write back. This is not only thrilling for both of them, but a fantastic way for your children to work on reading and writing skills as well as learn courtesy.
  • Reach out to others. Your parent does not have to have a previous relationship with someone to benefit from writing letters. Many organizations host letter-writing campaigns for active military personnel in deployment situations. Being involved in this type of activity allows your parent to offer support and encouragement to those who are in great need of knowing that there are people thinking about them. Whether she sends single letters to several people or starts ongoing pen pal relationships with one or two, being involved in this type of letter writing can be deeply meaningful to your parent and her recipients.

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in Lake Forest, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.

 

Jamie Shapiro
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