I'm here today to tell you all the importance of the adopt a grandparent program. I have both a grandma and a grandpa that live in the same town as I do yet i only see them about once a month it even that. I also have a grandfather that lives in Georgia.  I used to try and get out of talking on the phone with him every chance I could.  However he recently had a severe stroke and no longer knows who I am.

After going through the natural mourning process I began to think about all the things I missed out on with him and all the things I will miss if I don't spend more time with the ones still here. Shortly after realising that i don’t spend enough time with them  I Talked with my grandparents on a daily basis for about a month when my Grandmother finally asked to sit down and talk for awhile.

So one day after school I went to her house and she gave me the most sincere look I’ve ever gotten. She explained to me how not many things in the world include her. She’s not tech savy and feels as if the world is leaving her behind. She told me how these past weeks have been a complete joy and brought the happiness of life back into hers And all she needed was some extra time with her grandkids.

Its great that i could make her happy just by spending time with her! But what do we do about those grandparents in nursing homes that have no family left? A study from webmd.com states that over 6 million americans over the age of 65 have depression and only 10% actually get treatment. Research done by helpguide.org says that one of the main causes is the feeling of isolation. Depression in the elderly is much more debilitating according to webmd it can lead to cardiac problems causing stroke or heart attack.

It is our responsibility to take care of the people who once took care of us! If we enforce and promote the adopt a grandparent idea then it will lower the depression rate in the elderly and along with that bring joy and happiness back into their lives. An article I found on powertochange.com describes how the adopt a grandparent program not only helped the elderly couple living alone but also the children of the parents invovled. WHERE WAS THIS?
A young couple with two children became acquainted with and elderly couple that had just moved from Canada but they didn’t really get involved in each other's lives. However one day the young couples children asked for handmade scarves. The mother being busy explained how she didn't have the time, after the elderly lady heard this she explained how she would love to make them and any other item she needed. Reluctant at first but later accepting this sparked the start of the beautiful addition to each others family. The two couples began to invite each others holidays and the children asked the elderly couple to come to their school's grandparents day.

With this information you now know that not only does the adopt a program greatly benefit the elderly person or persons involved it also has the ability to positively affect the family of the the younger people involved.
Another example of this idea found on abcnews.go put into play is in seattle at a nursing home. Located at Mt. St Vincent is a small nursing home that a grad student Evan Briggs decided to combine with a preschool. Evan Briggs decided that she was going to make a movie on the matter called “present perfect” to show the changes it makes in the people's lives. During one point is shows the elderly before the children arrived. The room is described as being dead, with all the elderly people sitting their emotionless just begging for time to pass. When the children arrive the room explodes with smiles and activity. The elderly and the children join in activities such as dancing, painting, and most important story telling. On of the parents of the children attending the preschool at first sent his child their purely for the fact that it was considered a great school for children. But not noticing the problems with his aging parents appreciate it for giving everyone there a larger purpose

The adopt a grandparent program has the potential to help several people in so many ways. If we don't take advantage of this opportunity and take care of our elderly community the amount of things that we'll miss out on as a people is unthinkable.