A new connection with Argentum’s I Love Senior Living movement invites senior living communities to help more older adults feel remembered.
A thoughtfully chosen gift can make someone’s day. Delivering it in person creates an opportunity to sit together, share a story and remind someone that they matter.
That idea is at the heart of Adopt-a-Senior, a program founded by Jacob Shorkey. Inspired by his great-grandmother Lola’s experience living with dementia, Shorkey wanted to reach older adults who might welcome additional companionship, especially during the holidays.
“Our family loved her, but we couldn’t be there all the time,” Shorkey said. “That stayed with me, especially as I thought about older adults who might not have anyone coming to visit.” Working in senior living made that feeling even more personal. “Great Grandma Lola is the reason this means so much to me. Helping another person feel cared for is one way I can continue honoring her.”
“We just wanted to give back to those people who don’t have much family and visitors,” Shorkey told WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), the ABC affiliate serving the Detroit area.
Now, through a new connection with Argentum and its I Love Senior Living movement, Shorkey is working to help more senior living communities bring the program to their own neighborhoods.
The program brings people together to collect and deliver gifts for older adults with limited resources or few visitors. Past campaigns have reached seniors across Michigan’s Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. The station reported that one campaign collected and distributed more than 400 gifts to older adults in hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
One recipient featured in that coverage, living at a rehabilitation center, was eager to show the reporter her new slippers and a chocolate spoon for hot chocolate, even as she spoke about how difficult it could be to spend her days there. “Those were simple gifts, but her excitement showed why the details matter,” Shorkey said. “Something comfortable or a small treat can bring a little familiarity to an unfamiliar setting. Having someone there to share that moment makes it more personal.”
Putting I Love Senior Living into action
I Love Senior Living is Argentum’s movement celebrating the people, everyday experiences and relationships that make senior living meaningful. It invites residents, families, staff and supporters to share their stories and help more people understand life in senior living communities.
For Shorkey, the fit is a natural one. “This program brings forward the people and relationships that make senior living meaningful,” he said. “Working with Argentum can help us share practical tools so a community can see the idea and say, ‘We can do that here.’”
Adopt-a-Senior gives communities another way to put that spirit into action. Residents can help choose gifts, write cards or join a wrapping gathering. Families and staff can volunteer together, while local businesses and community organizations contribute donations or serve as collection locations.
It is also a chance to bring generations together. Shorkey encourages communities to invite a nearby school or youth group to a card-writing or wrapping activity, coordinated with staff so it is welcoming and appropriately supervised. “A resident might show a student a wrapping technique or share a holiday tradition, while the student brings their own ideas and experiences,” he said. “I want that exchange to go both ways.”
The program also recognizes residents as people with much to contribute. In another interview with the station, Shorkey described the value residents at American House bring to their community.
“I love that the residents have a sense of purpose, and they have so much to share with others,” he said.
Partnering with programs such as Adopt-a-Senior can help amplify I Love Senior Living by bringing more people into these experiences. A neighbor who donates a gift, a student who helps write cards or a business owner who hosts a collection bin has an opportunity to connect with a senior living community and see its contributions firsthand.
“Someone who comes in to help wrap gifts may have a conversation with a resident they never would have met otherwise,” Shorkey said. “That personal connection can give them a fuller understanding of senior living than an advertisement ever could.”
When participants share those experiences, the story travels beyond the community’s walls. Each local campaign can introduce new audiences to the movement and encourage others to get involved.
A local approach communities can make their own
Independent living, assisted living and memory care providers can participate by hosting a gift drive and connecting with a nearby receiving partner. That partner might be a nursing home, rehabilitation center or another organization serving older adults who would welcome support.
Each campaign begins with a conversation. Receiving-site staff can help identify participants, confirm gift preferences and plan a delivery that respects each person’s wishes and needs.
Shorkey encourages organizers to ask rather than assume. “Does someone enjoy word puzzles? Would they appreciate a warm blanket or a particular activity?” he said. “Whenever possible, include the person in that conversation.”
The hosting community can then set a manageable goal, establish a collection location and invite others to help. An online wish list makes donating easier, while a wrapping event gives residents and volunteers a shared activity with a clear purpose.
When welcomed and coordinated with staff, a personal visit on delivery day can make the experience more meaningful for everyone involved. Interested in getting involved? Contact Jacob Shorkey at [email protected] to learn how your community can organize a local Adopt-a-Senior campaign and access supporting materials.
Sharing the connection
Shorkey has developed an overview presentation and supporting materials, including editable flyer examples, event ideas, sample social media posts and a monthly posting calendar. The presentation also outlines local news outreach and ways to involve sponsors.
Participating communities are encouraged to share their campaigns, celebrate volunteers and report the results. With appropriate permission, photos and personal stories can help others see what these connections mean to the people involved.
Include #iloveseniorliving in every social media post about your campaign, and encourage participating families, volunteers and partners to do the same. Using the shared hashtag connects local efforts to the broader movement and makes it easier for others to discover reasons to love senior living.
Communities can also submit their stories to us, helping inspire others to participate. The relationships can continue after the holidays. Depending on what recipients welcome, a holiday introduction could grow into cards, another visit, a birthday greeting or a pen-pal connection coordinated with staff. An ongoing partnership with a school or youth group could add shared reading, storytelling or seasonal activities that help a first introduction become something familiar and lasting. For communities looking for a meaningful way to bring people together this season, Adopt-a-Senior offers a simple starting point: one local partnership and a shared commitment to helping older adults feel remembered.
“The holidays give us a place to begin,” Shorkey said. “My hope is that people continue thinking about those seniors after the decorations come down. That would be a meaningful way for great Grandma Lola’s inspiration to keep reaching others.”