By Tara Fischer
Staff Writer
Spreading holiday cheer and brightening the day of the community’s most vulnerable residents is the mission behind a social hour planned for this weekend at an assisted living facility tucked inside Ocean Pines.
Esther Diller, a former member of the Ocean Pines Association’s Board of Directors, founded a group a few years back called Ocean Pines Get Involved, which hosts charitable events and drives throughout the year. That team is giving back once again on Saturday, Dec. 20, at The Woodlands of Ocean Pines, an elderly care home located at 1135 Ocean Parkway.
Diller described the event as a social hour. Community members are invited to make their way to The Woodlands at 1 p.m. on Saturday, where they can chat with the facility’s 29 residents. Diller added that nine of these individuals don’t have any family.
“We’re going to have a lot of people come and really sit and spend some time talking with the residents,” Diller said.
“Let them tell their stories, let them share their experiences in life. I think that’s one of the best gifts you can give, your time. As you get older, your friend group shrinks. This is a way to bring some socialization to the community there.”
Diller said each of the 29 Woodlands residents will receive a gift bag containing sweets and other items. She added that she posted about the event on Facebook and noted that the response from followers was “incredible.”
One of those responses was from an Pine resident who mailed her 30 throw blankets from Amazon to include in the seniors’ gift bundle. Diller is also bringing trays of pastries and desserts, and some music to set a festive tone.
Currently, approximately 20 to 30 Ocean Pines community members have indicated they will attend the event. Anyone is welcome and can simply show up. Preregistration is not required.
Those who choose to participate in the social hour are encouraged to bring with them a treat for one or a few of The Woodland’s residents, like fluffy socks, snacks, or sweets.
Diller said the idea for a social hour at an assisted living facility came to her while she was planning Senior Helping Hands, which Ocean Pines Get Involved kick-started last year. Senior Helping Hands is a Christmas drive in which Diller collects names of older adults in Ocean Pines who may be alone during the holidays and assembles a few gifts for them. Last year, the Get Involved founder received 13 names. This year, that number fell to two.
To make up for the lack of submissions to Senior Helping Hands, Diller pivoted and proposed hosting a social hour at The Woodlands of Ocean Pines.
“I reached out to some other people in the community, and they said, ‘What about the assisted living facilities?’ and I thought that was a great idea,” Diller said. “So many of these people have dementia; they have a lot of health issues. I don’t think that they can really enjoy the holidays the way that they used to.”
Diller’s goal for the event is to give back to a population in Ocean Pines that is often overlooked during the Christmas season.
“Everyone is focused on kids, which is great,” she said. “But every organization is doing something for kids. Look around. How many are doing something for seniors? Not many. It just breaks my heart. You shouldn’t be in your golden years and be lonely and by yourself during the holidays, no matter what holiday you celebrate.”
Diller hopes to expand this program next year to include several assisted living facilities and elderly residents who live alone in Ocean Pines.
“Ultimately, I would really like to put together some type of event, like a luncheon or something like that,” she said.
Diller will also explore additional avenues to solicit names for Senior Helping Hands next year, including reaching out to local churches.
This Saturday’s social hour will begin at 1 p.m. at The Woodlands of Ocean Pines. The event will conclude around 2 p.m.
“I look at it this way: everyone has an hour they can give,” Diller said. “And I really want to make it fun for everybody, and I want to leave seeing the smiles on their faces.”