Bring Dinner to Your Mom on National Senior Citizens Day

August 21st is National Senior Citizens Day, a day proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan to honor older adults and the situations they face as they age. Celebrate National Senior Citizens Day by having the family join your mom for a family dinner.

Let Your Mom Know What You’re Planning

Don’t just surprise your mom, unless you know for certain that she’d be up for a surprise. Give her a chance to share who she’d want to see, if there are any family members she’d rather not have around, and what time of day is best for her.

Pick a Date and Time

Pick the date and time and share it with those who your mom wants to invite. Make it an RSVP invitation via email, message, or phone call, and keep track of who can come. You’ll need to know how much food is needed.

Build a Menu Plan

Once you know the right time and day, you’ll be able to decide if a family breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner is best. In this case, she wants a family dinner before watching a movie together. Come up with the items that are necessary for that meal and reach out to those who plan to attend.

You might want to come up with a theme that will delight your mom. Think back to her childhood, was her grandmother from Italy, Mexico, England, Poland, etc. A meal with traditional dishes from that country could bring her back to her childhood.

Your mom always made breakfast for you and your friends after a sleepover. You could do a big breakfast buffet with everything she’d made over the years. It’s a fun way to thank her for everything she did while also letting her know you’ve never forgotten the things she’d make for you.

Verify That Everything Is Covered

Make sure everyone who wants to come to the dinner knows what they should bring. You want to have a starter, salad, entrée, and dessert. You may also want a pot of coffee or iced tea to go with it. Let people pick what they want to contribute to the gathering, but make sure everything is covered.

If people are all picking the entrée or salad, it’s important that you fill in the gap of anything missing. This might mean you need to pick up napkins or make a couple of desserts. If others are willing to adjust their plans, that makes it easy to manage.

When you can’t be around each week, who spends time with your mom? If she’s often alone for weeks at a time, arrange elder care aides to ensure she’s never alone for long. Elder care aides can help her with her housework, errands, and much more.