When the first Sisters of Nazareth embraced the legacy of their founder Victoire Larmenier, they dedicated their lives to sharing the love of God through their ministries of care and education, and their “openness to the needs of the times.”
The needs of caring for the elderly then in the mid-19th century were different from the needs of 21st-century senior citizens, and contemporary sisters stepped up to those challenges at their senior living communities.
There’s a broadening focus in the overall industry on activities to keep residents engaged physically and intellectually. It’s a holistic approach that incorporates compassionate physical care with positive experiences to support a healthy lifestyle and stimulate the mind.
In Catholic senior living facilities, there are also opportunities for practicing the Faith and spiritual growth.
Activities for residents
The calendar is full of activities at Nazareth House San Diego, and residents take part in planning many of them.
“Our seniors love music, and they love the outdoors and nature walks. We are so fortunate with good weather in California so that we can have outdoor activities,” said Barbara Anne Crowley, CEO of Nazareth House and School USA.
Their senior homes in San Diego, Los Angeles and Fresno, California, have different levels of independent and assisted living, through palliative care and hospice. Owned and operated by the Sisters of Nazareth, they follow the religious community’s core values of love, patience, respect, compassion, hospitality and justice.
Familiar and new life experiences tailored to their levels of participation enrich the residents with life-long learning opportunities. Some are able to go on outings, while others have limitations.
“Our residents are coming in much older than before,” Crowley said. “They are coming in their 90s, and they are very active. Even if our seniors are immobile or frail, they can still take part in and enjoy humor and other activities. It’s special to them.”
A classical pianist or other musicians might be scheduled to perform one day. At other times, residents can learn flower arranging, have lively discussions on current events or at a book club, or find friendship in a men’s group. There are word games, bingo, simple exercises for staying fit, and trips into town.
Around holidays, residents welcome visits from youngsters in the preschool/kindergarten-third grade school located on the same grounds. The children make cards and drawings for the seniors there and also send them to the other two locations.
“We see the benefit for the children, and the benefit for the seniors, and we like to tie them together,” Crowley said about the intergenerational activities.
Catholic residents can attend daily Mass and participate in praying the Rosary or novenas. There are also opportunities for pastoral care from the sisters and retired diocesan priests who are in residence at Nazareth House.
A charism of humble service
The mission of Little Sisters of the Poor is to care for the elderly poor in the spirit of humble service, a charism received from their foundress St. Jeanne Jugan. According to their website, “We welcome the elderly as we would Jesus Christ himself and serve them with love and respect until God calls them home.”
Activities are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at their Jeanne Jugan Residence in Newark, Delaware. Residents are encouraged to live their lives as fully as they can with the many opportunities and to have input into what they are interested in doing.
That includes outings to stores and restaurants, in house games, visitor programs, discussion groups and more. They can be as busy as they want or are able to be.
“We try to mix it up a bit with active games, word games, exercises and some educational programs,” said activities director Danielle Shaw. “Everything we do benefits the residents so much by keeping them engaged and keeping their minds growing.”
Refreshments are served at the educational Chat and Chew program when people come in to present short programs on interesting topics.
“Our fairly new driver used to be employed by the FBI and she talked about what her job entailed, but nothing confidential,” Shaw said. “We also have One Day University that’s an online subscription service that features professors from all over the country. The residents like watching them.”
They have happy hours with refreshments and a time to just reminisce. One resident recently shared his experiences as a pin boy in a bowling alley, back in the days before automatic pinsetters. His job was to manually set up the pins that were knocked down.
“It was fun to just talk about that, and how they remembered going bowling,” Shaw said.
Word puzzles and brain games sharpen their minds even if they can’t figure out the solutions.
“I tell them that the important thing is that they are going through the process of thinking of the answer, not so much that they get the answer correct,” she said. “We encourage them to use their brain power.”
Finding joy in old age
Staff and family are invited to parties that are held almost every month, like a Father’s Day celebration and a tea party for Mother’s Day. One resident dressed up as the Easter Bunny for an egg hunt.
The Little Sisters of the Poor are involved in all the activities, too.
“They come for every party and they’re always walking past us when we’re doing things,” Shaw said. “They’ll attend trips, too, if we need an extra hand. We recently visited a horse farm and a few of the sisters came along and assisted.”
The activities, she added, are part of the mission of the Sisters of the Poor to meet the needs of the seniors with compassionate and person-centered care. Add to that the Masses, Rosaries and other opportunities for the Catholic residents to practice their faith.
“We make sure we are loving the residents with the love of Christ,” Shaw said. “It’s a pleasure to be able to serve them, and I love doing what I do. It’s not always easy at this stage of life to find joy in little things, especially when you are depending more upon someone to take care of you. It’s an honor to be able to do it for them.”
