When planning for my grandfather’s 90th birthday party, there were a lot of things to consider. For his 80th birthday party, we had a larger event, inviting some of his family to come over from England in his honor and held it at a large hotel where they lived. There was dinner, dancing, and a lot of lively activity between the members of our family. Although this is still an event that he talks about and remembers fondly to date, we were hesitant to do something so grand because his priorities and overall health had changed. He’s always struggled with his hearing, but in recent years, he has almost completely lost his ability to comprehend what people are saying, and this is only made worse when there are large groups of people and background noise to contend with. So while it would have been nice to include all of the people who have had a significant impact in my grandfather’s life, we knew that his 90th birthday party would no longer be about him; he would be left out of the conversation and isolated on a day that should be his.

Instead of having a big party, we opted for a quiet affair with only immediate family members in attendance. Just having 4 generations of family together in one room definitely made it a special day, with his child, grandchildren and great grandchildren all there to honor his life. We didn’t plan anything elaborate to do, we simply spent time together and were able to make sure that my grandfather was always included and enjoying himself. He had always been a strong man, but when his eyes welled up with tears at the end of the night; we knew that we made the right choice and that his 90th birthday would be something remembered fondly.

Personal account by Beth Hodgson, writer for Carebuzz

Home Instead Senior Care in Rhode Island provides non medical home care services for seniors and the elderly who choose to live at home instead. Please call us for more information on our in-home care services at 401-667-2923.