Turkey, cranberry pies, and the much-awaited parade—Thanksgiving is one of the most-looked-forward-to holidays in the year.
Despite everything that has happened this year, Thanksgiving provides the perfect opportunity to take a step back and appreciate all of life’s positive turns. After all, no one can deny that, no matter what, each of us has something great to be thankful for this year.
As Thanksgiving is a time for family and loved ones, ALTCP.org would like to urge the people to take into account their senior relatives, as well. Whether they reside in senior care facilities or live with other family members, take the time to ensure that they enjoy Thanksgiving, too.
To help create a fun-filled Thanksgiving celebration for every member of the family, we have asked our readers and friends one question:
Free Bonus: Download the PDF version of this entire list. Includes 10 activities not found on the list!
Trust us when we say that our readers did not disappoint! From quirky and unexpected to fun and traditional, these activities are guaranteed to make 2016’s Thanksgiving the best one so far. Let’s take a look at their suggestions:
- Seniors may be able to help with cooking, such as food prep, chopping, etc. If knives are inappropriate, seniors can roll or pat out dough, stir, or fill casserole dishes or pie pans. They may be able to help with table setting. They can look through photo albums with family members and share stories from the past. – Kim Shea, SheaCompanions.com
- Story-telling is a good activity for seniors who are celebrating the holiday at home with family or in residential senior communities. Each attendee prepares a story of one minute or less about a time he or she felt particularly grateful. It is a good idea for the senior to write out the story beforehand (with assistance if needed). Attendees gather in a small group, forming a circle for a sense of closeness and inclusion. A related photograph or drawing of the storyteller may be shown as well. – June Sanders, Seniorsmatter.com
- Thanksgiving is a special holiday, and the emphasis on giving back is the focus for family gatherings. Younger generations come to the table prepared to “roast” the elders and how they contributed to their lives. Everyone has a great time – lots of laughs, and at times, a few tears remembering those family members who have died. – Joy Loverde, ElderIndustry.com
- Most towns and cities host a race called a “turkey trot.” Walk or run in your local race as a family to start Thanksgiving off right. These events usually donate the entry fee to a good cause, such as a soup kitchen, to provide holiday meals for those in need. Others require you to donate a bag of canned foods before entering the race. Community runs are also good for working up an appetite before your turkey feast. – Sunrise Senior Living
- Take walks outside (weather permitting) to get fresh air and quiet during the often busy and overwhelming day – Jennifer Rowley, Fab55
- Our family activities are quite traditional. My son, Tim, has a birthday within a few days of Thanksgiving, so we celebrate his birthday with whomever family members show up or are available. We cook a turkey with all the trimmings, appetizer, mashed potatoes, veggies, salads, and pie. Some people have a glass of wine; others enjoy sparkling cider, others drink coffee as they are may be driving. We enjoy going around the table thanking God for our year and what we are most grateful for. Some members also enjoy Thanksgiving football games. Although, it is not a popular activity among most of us. Most folks are ready to call it a day by 7 or 8 PM. Everyone leaves feeling happy and full of food and joy. – Nanette Davis, NanetteJDavis.com
- Take a Walk. Pick an enjoyable destination. All you need to bring are your sneakers and conversation! Or you could join a Thanksgiving road race or road walk. – Dumb Little Man
- Relive memorable moments. Seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias will especially appreciate opportunities to tap into old memories. Listen to favorite carols and ask your loved one to share his or her most vivid memories, like taking a horse-drawn sleigh ride or hunting game for the holiday meal. – Home Instead Senior Care Newport News
- Play Football Bingo. Create homemade bingo cards on your computer that contain words typically used by football game announcers, like first down, field goal, and interception. Provide markers to residents to mark each word once they hear it mentioned during the football game. Award a prize to the first person who gets bingo on their card. – S&S Worldwide
- We plan on giving away goodie bags to nursing homes. I found this video on YouTube by eHow called Goodie Bag Ideas for Nursing Home Seniors: Senior Care. It was my mother’s idea because she wanted to help out her peers this Thanksgiving. – Violet, ALTCP.org
- Boardgames! Get out those games you have in the closet since last Christmas and haven’t played yet. Scrabble, Life, Yahtzee, Cranium, Trivial Pursuit, Trouble, Chutes & Ladders, whatever! Have some silly fun! – Dumb Little Man
- Look at photo albums or do some reminiscing to encourage your older loved one to share stories from their life. – Jennifer Rowley, Fab55
- Create a family tree and build family stories. – My Senior Portal
- Family Thanksgiving Journal. Grab a blank notebook. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Write down everyone’s thanks for this year. And then next year do the same so that over time you build a treasured family book of thanks as well as a sort of family history. – Dumb Little Man
- Play music from your family member’s era to boost their memory and mood. – Jennifer Rowley, Fab55
- Host a Thanksgiving Pie Bake-Off. Provide participants with aprons, rolling pins, and chef hats to make a variety of holiday pie recipes. Recruit your facility’s administrators to be the judges. – S&S Worldwide
- Have someone checking in on their energy and anxiety throughout the day. If they need to rest or go home early, be supportive and available to assist. – Jennifer Rowley, Fab55
- Grandparent and Grandchild Pumpkins: Create a mock pumpkin patch in the nursing home common area. The patch can be accessorized with hay bales and even a scarecrow. Find out in advance how many grandchildren can attend a pumpkin decorating event with their grandparent or great grandparent, and buy sufficient pumpkins for both grandparents and kids. Instead of carving pumpkins, let kids and their grandparents decorate the pumpkins with washable acrylic paints. Ribbons, artificial flowers, feathers and other items can also be used to decorate the pumpkins. – Lucy Lediaev, Seniors.LovetoKnow.com
- Name That Tune. Play the humming game where each teams or individuals have to name the tune. – Dumb Little Man
- Make gourd turkeys. Combine two of the most popular symbols of fall with these Thanksgiving gourd turkeys that can be used to decorate your lobby and dining area. They can add some color and cuteness to the space, and the template provided makes getting the craft just right easy for any seniors that choose to participate. – SeniorAdvisor.com
- Create a local thanksgiving menu. – Christianity.About.com
- Traditional Thanksgiving music can be very nostalgic, bringing back memories of younger years. Music collections, such as We Gather Together, can be enjoyed by most nursing home residents. – Lucy Lediaev, Seniors.LovetoKnow.com
- Have a family recipe competition. Everyone’s got their own family traditions and, while there’s probably some overlap in what your residents’ families have typically made for Thanksgiving, there are probably some unique family recipes that bring back fond memories for the individuals in the home. Let everyone submit their favorites and share them with the group to take a vote. The items that win will get made for the Thanksgiving feast on the big day. – SeniorAdvisor.com
- When a family member resides in an assisted living community or nursing home, holidays take on a different dynamic but can be just as enjoyable and memorable. In addition to preparing cherished dishes and desserts, holiday traditions such as watching a favorite film, recounting memorable Thanksgiving get-togethers from years past and browsing through old family photo albums are wonderful ways to spend the day. – Lisa Marie Chirico, Nursinghomeology
- One of the greatest gifts that the elderly give the rest of the world is wisdom and one of their favorite pastimes is sharing memories. Choose a time, perhaps after everyone has finished eating, to ask them about their favorite holiday memories. This is a wonderful activity as it creates a time of bonding for the entire family! – LivHome
- Call distant relatives. Maybe you have an older relative who’s spending the holiday alone or a niece or nephew that’s away at college and couldn’t make the trek home. Take a few minutes and give them a call or have a video chat session. This is a perfect opportunity to teach kids about the importance of keeping family close, and your relative will appreciate that you’re thinking of them during the holidays! – Monbaby.com
- Seat your aging family member in a quieter part of the celebration and make sure a designated person is with them. Have them help with serving and conversation – Jennifer Rowley, Fab55
- Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Set out doughnuts and coffee in your Activity Room and encourage residents to stop in to watch the parade on television. – S&S Worldwide
- Sitting with my Mom and going through the Thanksgiving decorations was always fun. I would let her pick her favorites from the pile of paper cardboard turkeys and pilgrim figures and then ask her where she wanted me to place them in her apartment. I made sure we had a big supply so we could place and rearrange as many as possible. We had turkeys in some of the most interesting places! – Susanne White, CaregiverWarrior.com
- There’s no better way to give back during the holidays than by participating in a local food drive or soup kitchen. Even if you just have everyone in your family bring a couple of canned foods to the local food drive, you and your loved ones will be making a big impact in someone’s life. Check VolunteerMatch.org for events going on in your area. There may be a dinner held for families in need, which you and your relatives can make a few extra dishes for. Volunteering is an effective way to teach the young ones to appreciate what they have and the importance of giving back to others. – Sunrise Senior Living
- If it’s a nice day out, it can be fun to enjoy the last bit of fall foliage before the snowy skies and frosty temperatures move in. The whole family might enjoy a game of capture the flag, touch football or basketball. Even if your loved one is only able to watch the fun, just getting outdoors and engaging with the family is a welcome change and very important! – Nueva Care
- Treasure Hunt. Create a simple treasure map and “prizes.” There can be one prize or multiple prizes, like an egg-hunt. Ideas for prizes: chocolate turkeys (is there such a thing?) or a packet of coins or a gift certificate wrapped up in a box. – Dumb Little Man
- Thanksgiving isn’t always a very decorated holiday, either because the emphasis is on the meal or decorating for Christmas takes a front seat. However, including some new autumn and Thanksgiving-themed décor can help your entire family, especially your elderly loved one, get in a festive mood. – Home Care Assistance Kansas City
- Gratitude Garland: Another version of a gorgeous garland. Count your blessings one by one and display them for all to see. – The Dating Divas
- Making a Wish: Does your family fight over the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey? Known as a “lucky break” the tradition of tugging on either end of a fowl’s bone to win the larger piece and its accompanying “wish” dates back to the Etruscans of 322 B.C. – About Parenting
Share Your Ideas With Us Too!
How are you spending Thanksgiving with your family? What are some of the special activities you have planned for your senior relatives? Let us know in the comments section!
Also, don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family! We’d love to help families to actively make Thanksgiving celebrations fun and exciting for their elderly older loved ones.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
This is such a great list! Thanks for putting it together (and for featuring us)! 🙂 XO