The Sunrise Blog

While we were all hoping the COVID-19 pandemic would be safely behind us before the holidays began, concerns about the coronavirus linger. It’s put a damper on private gatherings and public celebrations. Everything from community tree lighting ceremonies to family dinners is affected.

When an older adult calls a senior living community “home,” they benefit from a wide variety of amenities and activities. From an on-site beauty/barber shop to fitness classes and art workshops, these thriving communities have almost every need covered. It’s one reason loved ones often struggle to come up with a holiday gift.

As we head into the holidays, concerns about the spread of the coronavirus persist. Many older adults and their families are uncertain of how to plan for what is typically the most festive time of year. Unlike the warm days of summer when families could gather in small groups outdoors where social distancing is easier, the cold weather makes that impossible for many.

Halloween is often an intergenerational evening of fun that families look forward to all year long. Grandparents enjoy tagging along as costumed grandchildren make their rounds collecting candy throughout the neighborhood. Halloween is second only to Christmas as far as holiday spending goes. From costumes to candy, Americans spent 8.8 billion dollars last year.

June 6, 1944, is a date forever embedded in history. On that day, in the early morning hours, Allied forces staged the largest invasion the world had ever seen. It was an assault against Hitler and German positions on the beaches of Normandy, France.

Memorial Day is more than the unofficial kickoff to summer. It is a solemn holiday to remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedom of the United States.

Below, see a letter from Rita Altman, Sunrise SVP of Memory Care & Program Services, thanking our Sunrise nurses in honor of National Nurses Week. See the bottom of this letter for a very special video from Rita.