A few months ago I shared a post on how important Grandma “with the white hair” is to our family. It was wonderful to read that many of you felt the same way about your grandparents (or your children’s grandparents). Today I wanted to share some simple ways you can create memories with grandparents.

Protecting Grandparents From Influenza So We Can Create More Memories

Grandma “with the white hair” was recently released from the hospital after spending close to 3 weeks there due to some health issues. This news came as a big surprise to the family because she’s always so energetic. I know that while she was in the hospital, Demo was feeling anxious (she’s his grandmother and my children’s great-grandmother) and unsure on how to talk to our son about the situation. Our focus right now is making sure we spend lots of quality time with her just creating amazing memories. Here are a few ways we plan on doing just that.

• Take a LOT of pictures

You guys already know I love taking pictures of my family. I’m in my early 30s, and if you asked me to show you a picture of myself with any of my grandparents, I wouldn’t be able to. I’m glad that I can give my kids memories through photographs.

• Make a personalized photo album.

Grandma “with the white hair” doesn’t use social media. The only time she can look at pictures of the kids is when she comes over. It’s time to put all those pictures to a good use. A personalized photo album is a perfect way to create memories.

• Spend quality time together

I’m so used to having her over on the weekends. The last few weeks were tough. Now that she’s out of the hospital, I’m really looking forward to her revisiting us.

• Daily/weekly phone calls to check in

Demo is a creature of habits and calls his grandmother at least once a day. With the recent events, I know how important it is to call and check in on her. Something as simple as a call can mean so much to a grandparent that lives alone.

• Keep up the traditions

Traditions are so important. We started a new tradition of having family dinner once a week. It gives us the chance to catch up on each other’s lives, and she gets to spend the afternoon with her grandbabies.

If we want to ensure that she’s around to enjoy these wonderful traditions with her grandchildren, we need to ensure we’re taking every step to protect her health.

But as she gets older, her immune system isn’t as strong as it used to be. We have to make sure she takes care of her self by eating properly, getting enough sleep & fresh air and making sure that she’s up to date with her flu vaccines.

The seasonal flu can have devastating consequences for Canadians over the age of 65. With her recent health issues, she’s even more at risk.

Canada’s seniors should know about a higher dose flu vaccine that has been shown to be more effective in protecting seniors from seasonal influenza, compared to a standard dose vaccine.

For more information on the flu in seniors, talk to your healthcare provider or visit CARP.ca/flu.

I hope you guys found these simple ways to create memories useful. Make sure to let your parents/grandparents know how much you love them.

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This article has been sponsored by Sanofi Pasteur, but the opinions shared are my own.

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