Santa program delivers visits, gifts to area seniors
Holiday parties played out last week on both floors of the ManorCare rehabilitation center in Arlington Heights, including its short-term rehab unit and long-term care floor.
That's where residents received gifts that ranged from Cubs and Blackhawks T-shirts, to sweatsuits and other personal care items, all donated by community members across the suburbs.
“For some, this is the only present they will receive,” said Patty Johnson, activities assistant at ManorCare.
But it was more than presents and holiday treats that made the party. It was the companionship. Visiting with residents and bringing holiday cheer was at the top of the list.
It was all part of a nationwide effort, now in its 14th year, to cheer seniors during holidays, called “Be a Santa to a Senior.”
“The holidays are a prime time for many people to feel lonely — and that may be especially true for seniors in long-term care facilities, who don't have many visitors,” said Kelly Hutchison, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care franchise in Elk Grove Village.
“These are people with a lot of stories to tell,” Hutchison added, “but who don't often get that human aspect of this joyous time of year.”
His franchise has coordinated the Santa program for 10 years, and this year distributed 1,200 gifts to seniors at Arden Courts in Elk Grove Village, Assisi of Clare Oaks in Bartlett, Cedar Village locations in Arlington Heights and Schaumburg, Friendship Village in Schaumburg and Lexington Healthcare in Streamwood.
Gifts came from patrons who had selected ornaments off wish trees at locations that included Curves in Arlington Heights, as well as the Elk Grove Public Library, the Home Instead office and MB Financial Bank in Elk Grove Village.
In many cases, it was the hand-crocheted angel inside each gift, and the decorative card, created by National Honor Society students at Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg high schools, that made a lasting impact.
Virginia Saxton of Bensenville is the elf who crocheted nearly 1,500 angels for the holiday program this year. Each one featured different colored yarns and a tag that read: “May you always have an angel to watch over you.”
For Hutchison, who joined with staff members from Home Instead in distributing the gifts, the angels — and the handmade cards — were the secret.
“Somehow, something soft, simple and handmade really opens people up,” Hutchison said.
Cheryl Wilson, a staff member of Home Instead, works with different high schools each year to create the cards and wrap gifts. She started working with students at Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg high schools as far back as September to create the cards.
“Some of (these seniors) keep the card out all year long,” Wilson said. “They really make a big impact.”
The Home Instead Senior Care in Elk Grove is part of a nationwide network that provides personalized care, support and education to aging adults and their families. Currently, Hutchison and his staff provide care to nearly 200 seniors and their families, across the Northwest suburbs.