When Answers for Elders was in our forming stages, it was important to me up front that give to a cause. I wanted to make sure that “community” was more than something you access online. I also wanted to assure that our families and seniors who were navigating senior care knew that they mattered.
As I began researching about our older adult population in the USA, one statistic blew me away. According to numerous studies, close to 60% of seniors (that is documentable) have no regular visitors. As I explored this further, I learned that a “typical” relationship with a senior loved one is diminished greatly as seniors age. Their families may live in another town, or state. Our society has become much more distanced from one another, or even worse, their families get so busy, senior members are often left behind by their grandchildren and adult children.
Loneliness and depression is devastating at any age, but as a human being ages, they can become more susceptible to symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Depression can also be the cause of not caring for your own well-being- i.e. lack of proper nutrition, quality of life, grooming, bathing, etc. It can bring about feelings of despair.
To say that this breaks my heart for them is an understatement. As I began to think things through, asked myself the following question: “If the statistics are that bad in senior living communities, I wonder how it is for seniors who live alone in their homes?” No doubt, in many cases it must be worse!
Because of this, Answers for Elders’ main outreach cause is to promote well-being for seniors. For the past nine years, (skipping 2020, sadly due to the pandemic) we team up with NFL Legends, who together, we create the “12 Days of Goodness.” For 12 Days in December, we visit senior and community centers throughout Greater Puget Sound, for one single purpose: To Touch the Hearts of Seniors! We remind each one of our seniors who attend our events that we are grateful for them and loved. We share stories of our seniors watching our Legends play football. Our Legends provide autographs, pose for photos, and even will sometimes hang out with them for bingo or a game of ping pong. They share stories of the early days of, here in Seattle, “Seahawks Football.”
This year in Seattle/Puget Sound we are thrilled to be back! We are excited to share events this December that encourage fans to reach out and honor seniors in their special way. Currently, we are knee deep in planning, with an incredible calendar coming up:
- 12/10 (Blue Friday KICK OFF EVENT) Northshore Senior Center – Bothell, WA
- 12/12 SEA HAWKERS Watch Parties! Fans host watch parties for the Houston Texan’s game
- 12/13: Fife Community Senior Center – Fife, WA
- 12/14: Southeast Seattle Senior Center – Seattle, WA
- 12/15: Tukwila Community Center – Tukwila, WA
- 12/16: Renton Senior Center- Renton, WA AND Peter Kirk Community Center – Kirkland, WA
- 12/17: Edmonds Waterfront Center – Edmonds, WA
- 12/19: Fanz4Good RAMS Gamewatch party with NorbCam – Location TBA
- 12/20: Issaquah Senior Center – Issaquah, WA
- 12/21: SnoValley Senior Center – Carnation, WA
- 12/22: Ballard NW Senior Center with Steve Raible – Seattle, WA
For those of you who reside in the Puget Sound Region, we invite you to be a part of this very special event! If you know of a senior who lives in your neighborhood, will you take a moment to make sure they know that they matter? Maybe it’s as simple as bringing them a plate of cookies or sharing a cup of hot chocolate with them. It might even be greater to offer them a ride to an appointment or take them out to a restaurant for lunch! What I do know is that you will be far more rewarded by the experience than the amount that you give, and at the end of the day, your heart will be filled because you did something that truly mattered.
