Cheering Up Nursing Home Residents During the Pandemic

by Ruby Kaye Chitsey

I am the founder and CEO of the nonprofit, Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents. We fulfill small wishes for nursing home seniors across America.

This month I’d like to give an update about the pandemic and how it’s still affecting the 1.4 million seniors living in nursing homes. Families can visit at the bedside for 15 minutes and they can visit outside for longer periods. Sadly, over half the nursing home residents where I live still do not have visitors. I hear this estimate from facilities across the country. So, what can you do to help?

Here are some items you can drop off at a nursing home in your community. They are sure to cheer anyone up and essential staff can give them out to the senior who needs it most. You can drop off snack cakes, homemade cards, art, flowers, helium balloons, new (small) stuffed animals and photos of your favorite pet or child.

We also have hundreds of wish items on our charity Amazon Wish List. Here is the link to fulfill a wish for a senior https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3MQ1S89BENZIG?ref_=wl_share

Every October we partner with the Loukoumi Foundation to host wish lists to help kids fulfill wishes for seniors across the globe!!

Next month we will tell you about plans for a very easy “virtual show and tell” to cheer seniors up. Stay tuned.