7 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Loved Ones on Senior Citizens Day
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Time to read 5 min
Around one in five people across the US is now considered a senior at 65 or older.1 And yet, seniors often don’t get much attention or appreciation, even after decades building the relationships, families, and communities that have made us who we are today.
A 2025 review of over 1.2 million older adults confirmed as much, finding that 30.5% of older adults in North America experience senior loneliness, which can come with real health risks.2
The good news: August 21 is National Senior Citizen’s Day — providing the perfect opportunity to show just how much you appreciate the older loved ones in your life. Here are 7 family-friendly ways to celebrate.
1. Turn Movie Night into a Night to Remember
Movie night is good. Movie night with your favorite food, fun decor, and people coming in the theme of their favorite characters? Way better. Choose an old favorite, something they haven’t seen in years, or one with their favorite actors. Then have fun with it!
- Order their favorite takeout or meals themed for the movie
- Bring their favorite movie theater candy and popcorn
- Invite everyone to dress up or do a pajama party
- Add decorations in the style of the movie
- Play movie trivia
Caring for aging parents from a distance? JubileeTV makes it easy for caregivers to control parent’s TV remotely. Just open the app to navigate to their favorite movie, show, or streaming service for seniors and broadcast it straight to their TV in just a few taps.
Want more inspiration? 20 Fun Activities to Create Lasting Memories With Grandparents →
2. Host a Family Game Night
If you’ve noticed your loved one feeling more loneliness in old age, invite the people they’d love to see — siblings, cousins, grandkids, old family friends — and pick a handful of low-effort games. If loved ones live in different locations, caregivers can use JubileeTV’s Multi-way Calling feature to invite up to 4 guests for a group video call on their elderly parent’s TV for a virtual game night.
Games to play with grandparents (whether you’re virtual or in-person):
- Charades
- Pictionary
- Would You Rather
- 20 Questions
- Family trivia
For family trivia, make the questions about older loved ones: Who remembers Grandma’s first job? Who knows Grandpa’s go-to karaoke song? Who can name the most questionable family hairstyles? Who wants to try and figure out that one family recipe only Grandpa can make?
3. Put Together a Family Memory Show
Collect favorite photos from across the family — the silly ones, the deeply meaningful ones, and the moments everyone still talks about. Then send them to your loved one’s JubileeTV and add them to their photo slideshow, so the memories can play right on their TV.
Ask siblings, kids, and grandkids to each contribute a favorite. You could even build the collection around a loose theme, like favorite family trips, funniest moments, or photos that instantly bring back a story.
4. Ask Questions that Spark Passion
One of the best things to do with grandparents is also one of the simplest: ask about their life. Don’t stop at “what was your childhood like?”
Get specific with questions they’d be excited to answer:
- What did you think adulthood would be like?
- What fashion trend should never come back?
- What’s one old family story that always makes you laugh?
- What advice did you ignore when you were our age?
- Did you ever get in trouble as a kid? What for?
- What’s something you think we got from you that you love?
Bonus: Save your favorite moments from video calls with loved ones using JubileeTV's rewind + record feature.
5. Create a “Choose Your Own (mini) Adventure” Menu
Instead of asking an aging parent, “what do you want to do today?” — create a menu of low, medium, and high energy activities to spark ideas and reduce the mental fatigue seniors may feel with planning.
| Senior Loved One Activity Menu (sample) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Low energy days | Medium energy days | High energy days |
| Scenic drive + favorite café | Visit a museum | Take a day trip nearby |
| Movie night or game night at home | Explore a botanical garden or park | Minigolf + arcade |
| Picnic at a nice lookout | Go window shopping at antique stores | Attend a concert, show, or festival |
If they’re truly open to anything, make choosing part of the fun! Invite them to pull an option from a hat, use a random-choice wheel, or have the grandkids help make a cootie catcher to choose.
Learn more: Social Activities for Senior People: 10 Engaging Ideas →
6. Lighten Their To-Do List (and Their Mental Load)
Has your loved one had something on their to-do list for ages that they just haven’t gotten around to?
Maybe it’s the TV remote they’ve complained about for weeks. The return sitting by the door. The drawer that jams. The streaming account that logged them out. The appointment they keep meaning to make.
Choose one and handle it for them. No hassle, no fuss. It can be a true gift, to take care of senior parents the way they’ve taken care of you. Sometimes “already done” is a pretty excellent love language.
7. Plan Something They’ll Genuinely Look Forward To
Pick social activities for seniors they’ll actually enjoy:
- Book lunch at their favorite restaurant
- See if any of their favorite artists, athletes, or inspirations are having any events
- Plan a Sunday dinner date, just because
- Sign up for the class they’ve mentioned three times
Try to remove whatever barrier has stopped them in the past — make the reservation, coordinate the ride, set up the call, or set up the reminder.
You can help loved ones stay on schedule by setting up timed reminders directly on their TV with JubileeTV Reminders. No more trying to play phone tag to make sure aging parents or grandparents stay on schedule.
Bonus: Make Fun Celebrations a Regular Event
Celebrating elderly parents and older loved ones doesn’t have to be a one-day event. For families caring for elderly parents at home or long-distance caregiving, let National Senior Citizens Day be the excuse to start a small tradition that lasts.
If movie night was a hit, make it monthly. Turn game night into a family rotation. Start a standing lunch date. Call every Wednesday on your drive home.
Grand gestures are lovely, but recurring little traditions are often what give us something to look forward to — at every age.
How to Be Happy In Old Age: 10 Ways to Help Aging Parents Find Joy & Connection →
Author - Madison Reid
About the Author
With 7+ years of copywriting under her belt, Madison is a lifelong logophile. As Senior SEO + Content Strategist at JubileeTV, she's passionate about helping older adults navigate the world of tech to experience less stress and more joy, support, and connection with loved ones and caregivers. Outside of work, you're likely to find Madison hiking with their pup, road-tripping the Pacific Southwest, or nerding out over the latest health research and wearables.
