THE GRAND IDEA -Adventure!

By: BJ Bryson

Sometimes it is hard to stay in contact and be relevant to our grandchildren, grandnieces or grandnephews who could live miles or even states away. It takes extra effort for their parents and for us to keep bonds in place and strong.

I live a ten-hour drive from one grandchild, a plane ride to middle merica or the acific orthwest for the others. These have now become expensive encounters. Technology can make short exchanges where we see each other, but there is nothing like a hug, the power of touch or direct conversation. I have grown tired of purchasing and sending presents, gift cards that I never know what came of them, and cards through the once cost-effective package delivery services. The desire is to retain intergenerational relationships over time and create meaningful engagement between the generations.

The grand idea – stop giving so many material gifts! Birthdays and holidays can be expensive for visits or sending gifts. Be over it! Move to provide meaningful exchanges and experiences with the rands and to find a better use of my limited dollars.

As people with lots of lived experience, consider your experiences, hobbies, strengths, and joys. Consider how to share these in unique ways? It is easier with younger children than teens if you start late doing this. The goal is to build a mutual relationship. Some examples below, including those with higher monetary investments to those that are free.

• Sponsor a weeklong family beach trip. Rent one space with multiple bedrooms. You’ll share time walking on the beach, watching their activities, informal chats, playing games – board, putt putt, technology games, and sharing meals together. This does require family negotiation. Going off-season makes this a winning effort with cheaper accommodations and less congestion. I enoyed watchin my fi e year old rand learn and learn to play chec ers with my dad, her great grandfather. Priceless!

•Give gifts of adventure or health – memberships to their local botanical garden, aquarium, or historical sites. pportunities for classes li e ymnastics, music, or swimming. Always discuss with the parent who needs to help execute such adventures.

• Consider a challenge like shared visits to local, state, or national parks. Glamping makes it possible for those of us who no lon er find sleepin on the ground comfortable.

• Plan family trips to sporting events and while there share some of your precious stories of enjoying the sport. They will listen as you’ll tell the story with excitement and joy. Make it a challenge to be accomplished together.

• Go with them to children’s museums with hands on experiences. Your role is often to sit, watch, and share. Depending on age, some safety assistance may be needed.

• Plan game night. Allow them to pick the meal. Plan at least one game they want – even if it is electronic, then you select a board or card game you like. Making this a ritual of being together helps to build our connections.

• Shared story construction where characters and story settings are imagined. The child provides a line, followed by you sharing a line. Back and forth. These stories can get wild, silly, and imaginative.

• Like to sing? We have a blues tradition in our family. one of us can sin well, so we construct blues songs when we are together. Young people pick up the feel for this very easy, even to the point of trying to scat! Costs nothing but time and togetherness.

• Plant a garden or take care of a plant collectively. Weekly check ins on their care of the plant provide the connection.

These are suggestions and you will have many more. The most important part of this is there needs to be a feedback loop. You may share the experience or talk about it using technology. Small children have short attention spans, but this does not stop them from drawing a picture of the experience, sharing age-appropriate observations like what types of owers they learned about or their fa orite color of owers. hildren can be inventive, but so can you. Remember the key is shared adventure whether directly or through technology.

Community Calendar of Events

Any reader interested in attending an event should call the contact person for that event to determine if registration and fees are applicable. All readers and encouraged to call to confirm that the event is still taking place prior to the event date. To contribute information to the Living Longer, Living Well Community Calendar, please email Leigh-Anne Lees at leighanne@vpas.info.

Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group

First Friday of the month | 9 am | Community Mennonite Church

A support group offered by the Alzheimer’s Association in partnership with VPAS. Here is a safe place for people living with dementia and their care partners to:

• develop a support system

•exchange practical information on challenges and possible solutions

•talk through issues and ways of coping

•share feelings, needs, and concerns

•talk about community resources Register at vpas.info/caregiver-support or call VPAS at 540-615-5341.

Ongoing Caregiver Support Groups

Third Tuesday of the month | 10 am

|VPAS Waynesboro office

Fourth Tuesday of the month | 3 pm | Sunnyside Retirement Community Caregiver Support groups provide interaction with other caregivers, resources, tips, ideas, and a safe outlet for sharing of feelings. Register at vpas.info/caregiver-support or call VPAS at 540-615-5341.

Virtual Caregiver Support Groups

Mondays at 3 pm or Wednesdays at 10:30 am

It can be difficult attending a support group in person if you are unable to leave your care partner alone at home. Here is a virtual solution. Groups gather on Zoom. Register at vpas.info/caregiver-support or call VPAS at 540-615-5341.

Memory Partners

First Tuesday of the month |10-11:30 am |Plains District Community Center

First Thursday of the month |10-11:30 am | Massanutten Regional Library

Second Thursday of the month |1011:30 am | Rosenwald Community Center

A safe space for caregivers and people

See CALENDAR , Page 6