PSA: Send Cards To Nursing Homes This Grandparents Day

Whether your kids are lucky enough to have their own grandparents to celebrate or not, there is an oft-forgotten subset of every community who also deserve to be acknowledged this Grandparents Day. Ahead of National Grandparents Day on September 12, you and your kids can make or purchase cards or write letters to deliver to seniors living in nursing homes. This simple act of kindness can mean the world to those who may not have children in their life to help them celebrate the day.

You may already be familiar with the concept of sending Valentine’s Day cards, Christmas video messages, or other major holiday greeting cards to nursing homes. Pre-pandemic, some nursing home even hosted events like trick-or-treating on Halloween or caroling at Christmas to spread joy to residents and forge connections between residents and children in the community. Though it is a nationally recognized holiday, Grandparents Day doesn’t necessarily stand out as a day deserving of this same level of community celebration — but it should.

Why Send Grandparents Day Cards To Nursing Homes?

Not all nursing home residents are fortunate enough to have family members like grandchildren to shower them with affection on holidays. Especially on a day meant to celebrate the special bond between children and their grandparents, it can be hard to watch other residents receive gifts, cards, and visits from family. Receiving a special note from someone in the community — even a child they do not know — can make them feel seen and cared for despite their circumstances.

Vicki Morel, the owner of Windsong Care Center in Pearland, Texas, tells Romper by email that her facility’s residents love to receive cards and thoughtful gifts on holidays. “For some it reminds them of a time when their own children or grandchildren were that age,” she says. “For others that may not have family near by, it brings that sense of family to them.”

Sending cards to nursing home residents is one project for kids that can actually serve multiple purposes. For example, if your child doesn’t have a relationship with their own grandparents or they’re no longer living, making cards for nursing home residents can help give kids a way to still celebrate the day.

Especially for kids without a grandparent to actively celebrate, adopting a local nursing home resident (or two, three, four, or more) to shower with love through a card or note can forge an intergenerational connection that they might not otherwise experience. Perhaps they’ll even gain a pen pal in the process. And for the residents themselves, this can be an unexpected bright spot in their day.

What To Write In A Grandparents Day Card To Send To A Nursing Home

Unless you know a resident personally, it might be difficult to come up with something to write in a Grandparents Day card to send to a nursing home. It’s OK keep your well-wishes to seniors generic, but here are a few ideas if you need some inspiration:

• Have a wonderful day!
• Happy Grandparents Day to you!
• Thinking of you this Grandparents Day.
• Wishing you a day filled with joy!
• Sending many smiles your way today.

It’s usually a safe bet to just drop a card in the mail with a note attached saying that you’d like the card to be given to a deserving resident, but you can also check with local facilities to see if they have specific requirements or restrictions for card drop-offs or deliveries.

Whether you and your kids use all of the construction paper in your craft bin or simply stop by the store and snag a few greeting cards, taking the time to remember and celebrate nursing home residents this Grandparents Day is a truly thoughtful way to spread some joy.