Sharing a Date with Nursing Home Residents

Hailing from a military lineage of service to this country, I enjoy spending time with veterans. When we go to a nursing home, my honey plays the guitar and sings some of the residents’ favorite songs; I encourage the residents to talk about their lives and I listen. These men and women reminisce and share stories. One gentleman adopted me for almost an hour. He’d ask me questions about my love and compare places we’ve been to find similarities.

A person doesn’t need to approve o war to respect veterans. To simply forget or disregard the time and effort expended in serving our country is to diminish a part of who a person is. Not to be outdone, one of the ladies at my table said she never served in the military but she helped with morale during WWII. With a teasing twinkle in her eye she told me, “I’m in a wheelchair today because I would go to the dances and dance until the music ended just to remind the boys to come home.” Then she danced to celebrate the end of the war.

Veterans need to feel special and not just on one or two days of remembrance during the year. Some would rather forget things they’ve experienced. Some brag about mischief perpetrated and voice pride at having been in a certain place during a historic moment. Most are humble when thanked for service to country.

On the way home, my honey and I extended our joy by swapping stories to relive the visit. Friends and foes are all humans caught on opposing sides of ideology. When the conflict is over, each person deserves the opportunity to tell his or her story and to be listened to and respected.

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Friends with Meal Benefits

A creative solution for preparing casseroles and not ending up having to eat the same dish every night for a week is to share with others. For the price of a casserole or two, I get a variety of different meals for the week.

We started with four people to gain at least four days worth of meals. Each person must bring a casserole that will serve four to six people, meaning couples are welcome as long as they bring two dishes. Every participant is also responsible for providing their single-serve containers or packing multiple meals back in the one casserole dish. To enhance the fun, we've tried this with desserts too.

The host can ensure that meals meet standards (vegetarian or tweaked to accommodate allergies). Each person should bring the recipe or at least a list of all ingredients. One way to coordinate this is to have each person choose two options and then email to all participants and let them vote on preference and provide information on food allergies.

Everyone comes to the host location with a casserole ready to bake or one already made. Some people prefer to do the cooking on-site and have friends act as sous chefs. At the party, the host has snacks or meals to offer. Spending time with friends, having fun and celebrating food are the highlight of the evening. When I dig out a meal during the week I have two benefits, reminiscing about time with people I care about and enjoying a meal I just had to warm up.

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