Celebrating Traditions Honors Seniors
Guests at our communities often remark that there always seems to be a celebration of some kind or other at Carillon, and that’s especially true at the holidays. In fact, our assisted living communities are still buzzing from a series of Christmas caroling concerts we held across the state Dec. 12-14.
These were Christmas celebrations to remember, complete with Victorian carolers in full dress costume. The concerts brought the Christmas spirit to life at our 17 communities, where we raised thousands for local charities and helped make the season bright for hundreds of children in need.
The caroling concerts were part of a larger effort to bring people together around the very traditions that unite us at the holiday season and all year long. It is so very important to center those festivities around our seniors, because they are the ones who taught us first to honor those Christmas traditions, and then to pass them on to our own children. Celebrating holiday traditions, whether as a family or as part of a larger community, is a way of valuing our own parents and, in effect, all the seniors who have touched our lives.
The concerts featured performances by renowned singing groups like Raleigh’s Victorian Carolers, who have sung on the world stage, and the Triad’s Carolers of Christmas Past, who have twice performed at the White House. Local favorites such as Hendersonville’s Mountain Joy Ministries, and Fayetteville’s Coventry Carolers, were also crowd pleasers.
At Carillon, we are always looking for fun, festive ways to bring people in to our communities, as part of our commitment to keep seniors connected, engaged and independent. We feel strongly that a senior’s world should not get smaller as they age, but should instead become richer. Their physical abilities may change over time, but older adults should always experience the best that life has to offer.
Ask most any senior what kind of present they want for Christmas, and they will tell you that all they really want is to have their family together. They want to be surrounded by the sounds of children and the familiar comforts of home. And that’s exactly what the Carillon Christmas Concerts were all about.
As we embark on a new year at Carillon, we look forward to the many celebrations and time-honored traditions that are to come. We will continue to host fun, fanciful socials and feel-good festivities that bring the larger community into our assisted living communities. We welcome the opportunity to host new and familiar friends at Carillon throughout 2014; and not just on holidays, but always.
At Carillon, we don’t spend too much time looking for the right occasion to celebrate. Our seniors teach us every day that life itself is a celebration. By way of their example, we learn to appreciate the little things, to enjoy the simple pleasures of a friend’s company, and to honor the traditions that have been passed down from previous generations.
We hope to see you at a Carillon celebration in 2014. Come to a Carillon near you soon, and in doing, show the seniors in your life how much you value them.
Posted in Sage Stories on December 20, 2013