By Daily Press staff
For older citizens, the holidays can be a lonely time if family lives far away. Area retailers, along with agencies that serve older adults, have joined forces with a local senior care service to deliver gifts and companionship to isolated seniors during the busy holiday season. Last year, more than 53,000 needy seniors throughout North America received gifts as part of the “Be a Santa to a Senior” program.
Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship for older adults who otherwise might not receive a gift this holiday season. The organization will provide presents to Santa Monica Place and the Center for Healthy Aging.
This is the second year of the program. Last year 7,000 volunteers distributed 96,000 gifts to deserving seniors. “We have been thrilled with the reception and the response to our program both on a local basis as well as nationally,” said Brad Lusk, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving Santa Monica/Culver City. “Be a Santa to a Senior” is more than just a gift-giving project. The program is designed to help stimulate human contact and social interaction for seniors who are unlikely to have guests during the holidays.”
The program began Nov. 1 and will continue until Dec. 15.
Prior to the holiday season, the participating local nonprofit organizations identified needy, orphaned and isolated seniors in the community and provided the names to Home Instead Senior Care for the community service program.
At the Santa Monica Place Mall, holiday shoppers can pick up an ornament — as they did last year from 720 retailers nationally — buy items on a gift list and return them unwrapped to the store, along with the ornament attached. Home Instead Senior Care will then enlist the volunteer help of its staff, senior care business associates, nonprofit workers and others in the community to collect, wrap and distribute the gifts to the seniors.
A citywide gift-wrapping day will be held on Dec. 9 at the WISE Adult Day Care Center from 2 to 5 p.m., and Dec. 13 at the Santa Monica Place Mall from 2 to 5 p.m.
“This program is a way that we can give back to our community by providing gifts and companionship to our area’s older adults who have contributed so much,” Lusk said. “Our goal is to bring a little love and joy of the season into their lives.”
If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering to help on the citywide gift-wrapping day, contact Lusk at (310) 477-8300.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 22, 2005. Read the original PDF.