Aging Parents: Able but Apathetic Older Parents Part 2

Additional Ideas to Engage and Invigorate

Spring does exist for those living in the hard-hit-by-winter East--the moment they enter the Philadelphia Flower Show. It does wonders to help older parents' spirits as well as our own, even when we must return to our homes with inches of accumulated frozen snow in the yard. So what other attraction could provide that "pop" for aging parents?

Before leaving the subject of flower shows--if they are of interest--Google "flower shows" and shows all over the country are at your finger tips. Click "flower shows 2010" and check out Chicago--March 6-14; Portland Me.--March 11-14; Chicago and San Francisco--March 24-28 and Newport RI--June 25-27 to name a few.

There are boat shows, car shows, etc., some of which should appeal to apathetic aging parents. If music and theater hold more appeal, check out:

Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass. The Boston Symphony presents outstanding musical programs during the summer--indoors and outdoors. Located in the Berkshires, the surroundings are beautiful and it's very popular with older people. Bring a picnic if you wish, but do check the weather forecast.

The Shakespearean Festival, Ashland, Oregon. This is a favorite summer destination, now in its 75th year, and the quality of the productions is well known. Ashland is a picturesque town not far from the California border. While the pear trees in Ashland are the delicious variety used in Harry and David's famous fruit gift packages, there is also a well-remembered, disgusting-tasting mineral water, Lithia water, that comes from an underground source. Dad stopped to make us drink some from a fountain in the park anytime we drove through Ashland when we were kids. Said it would help us live to 100. He died at 94. Hmmm.