Speaking of Greeting Cards… Why Not Send One Today?

I have always treasured giving and receiving greeting cards. The same was true for my father, who appreciated hearing from others, primarily through postal mail.

During my father's Alzheimer's journey, receiving a greeting card was more than just a card to him. Each was a welcoming lifeline to smiles, conversation, care, and love.

Greeting card choices

I enjoy how greeting cards come in various styles and meanings. A colorful bouquet, comforting words, or a comical flying cow can appear when an envelope is torn open. Along with each card, laughter or sentimental tears can accompany it.

When my father moved into assisted living, I wondered how to keep in touch when I couldn't see him as frequently as before. I had many greeting cards left over in my card box from my teaching days, so I put them to good use and sent him a few cards weekly.

I loved knowing he was on the receiving end of accepting the mail. Most days, he eagerly sat on the bench near the official greeter, who let our father receive the day's incoming mail with open arms. He would then accompany the activity director and deliver mail in his building—a job he loved.

The benefits of sending greeting cards

While Dad lived at his assisted care home, I learned how popular of an activity it was to send cards to residents. These cards often contained a simple message signed by loved ones or volunteer card senders. Learning how greeting cards can meet the needs of senior and assisted living homes made me happy. Over the months of sending my father cards, I learned of their benefits and how they can support those with Alzheimer's.

For those in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, the cards offer more than a smile. They support the receiver by giving them comfort and being remembered.

For many, the cards they receive become their most prized possessions. I recall how my dad's face lit up when he received cards with animals. He always held his cards tight, returned them to their envelopes, and placed them on his desk for easy retrieval. I also observed how others at his assisted care facility enjoyed receiving cards, with some pinning their cards on a bulletin board for other residents to enjoy.

Greeting cards can become a talking point as the disease progresses and the individual's short-term memory is affected. A loved one's collection of cards can be used in sorting activities, with opportunities for them to be collected and reviewed repeatedly. They can also serve as conversation starters about what is on the card and who sent it to them. A close look at the stamps is also an inviting task.

As a caregiver to my father, whom my family and I wrote to often, I encouraged my friends to do the same. I happily supplied them with self-addressed stamped envelopes and even added a sheet of stickers to place on the envelopes for fun. Not only did I encourage them to write to my father, but to send cards to the activity director, who passed them along to other residents.

Community involvement

While spending time with my father and his collection of priceless cards, I learned a few additional ideas for sending greeting cards to loved ones and others by encouraging community members to become involved.

Contacting local schools to invite them to participate in service learning projects involving student-created greeting cards is always a great place to start. You can work out a plan to collect their specially made cards. As your card collection grows, you can deliver greeting cards on a larger scale and to more care facilities than one.

When getting students involved, please share with the students that their handmade cards can include sensory fun like scratch-and-sniff stickers, sandpaper tape, and stamp-and-ink prints. Let the students know that sending their cards weekly or once a month would be ideal for supporting Alzheimer's patients.

Plan to let others in your neighborhood, faith-based community, support group, friendship circles, and local senior center know about your interest and desire for greeting cards.

You can create a drop box for card donations in several ideal spots. With permission, these boxes can be stationed in a church fellowship hall, local post office, and school office. Once you have permission from the care homes and resident families, share a list of the locations where cards would be welcome if volunteers prefer to mail or deliver them themselves.

Greeting cards and their offerings

As I shared caregiving with my family, I saw the benefits of giving and receiving greeting cards and writing to our father at his assisted living home; whether a card with a comical or naturalistic scene, these hands-on tokens of care and love bring light to the eyes of those who receive them.

The benefits of sending a card to a loved one or a complimentary greeting card to someone with Alzheimer's or residing at a care facility are thoughtful and plentiful. Why not send a greeting card to someone you love and care about today?