Welcome to the beginning of the holidays, a joyful time for many, but a painful time for some seniors who’ve lost loved ones, or who are feeling neglected and isolated.
As the owner of Home Instead Senior Care for Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley, I have the very good fortune of being able to take part, for the second year, in a corporate-founded community-based program called Be a Santa to a Senior, a wonderful way for people to come together to make seniors’ wishes come true.
With the help of area non-profit organizations including the senior centers from Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley, we will be able to identify local seniors in need. Trees will be put up in various locations and ornaments with the first names of those seniors will be used to decorate the trees. The ornaments will indicate each senior’s wish list including everything from blankets, to sweaters, to slippers.
Last year warm clothing, including flannel pajamas and drug or grocery store gift cards were very hot items. But we also had some touching requests by some of our seniors for more personal items like photo albums, picture frames, stuffed animals, even posters and ceiling mobiles. You know, the kinds of things that make life more interesting, but simply aren’t affordable on a senior’s budget.
Anyone who would like to purchase or make gifts for these seniors (some of our most beautiful gifts last year were hand-made) can take an ornament from any of our trees, get the gifts and return them to the tree location, where volunteers and CAREGivers will pick them up, then help wrap and distribute them.
In addition to providing gifts, Be a Santa to a Senior offers human contact and social interaction for seniors who are unlikely to have family or guest visits during the holidays. The resulting smiles and memories will be a gift we all can share.
We would appreciate your help in making this season one of joy and giving for seniors. We are currently asking local merchants and restaurants for space to display a tree and through our Be a Santa to a Senior web site we will be staying in touch with you to let you know where you can go to help!
For information on how to “Be a Santa to a Senior,” please call Home Instead Senior Care at 661-254-8701 or visit www.beasantatoasenior.com . If it’s more convenient, we will also have a tree at our office, and you are always welcome to drop in at 24400 Walnut Street, Suite E, Newhall (the Walnut Plaza, corner of 9th Street and Walnut). Thank you.