Welcome to another Memorial day. The unofficial start of summer. The 3 day weekend for a large amount of working people. But wait isn’t it supposed to mean more than that?
What is Memorial day
The true meaning of Memorial day is a federal holiday to honor and remember the Americans that gave their lives for our country in our armed forces
History of Memorial day
Memorial day started as Decoration Day. On May 30, 1868 the Northern Civil War veterans started to decorate the graves with flowers and flags to remember their sacrifice. General James Garfield spoke at and decorated graves at Arlington National Cemetery.
During World War I it transitioned to honoring veterans that had died in any war. In 1971 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act putting Memorial day on the last Monday of May.
The traditional methods of celebrating Memorial day is to decorate gravestones with flowers and flags, American flags are to fly half staff until noon then raised for the evening, there is also a moment of silence at 3 PM.
So what can we do in the Nursing Home?
As a therapy team it is important for us to ask our residents if they have any family memebers that have died in the line of duty. We need to be open and encourage showing respect and remembrance to those that have a direct connection with someone who has given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. This could be a parent, grandparent, brother or sister. It could be a tremendously impactfull interaction you could have with one of your residents.
It is ever more important to continue to show remembrance and pass on stories to honor the fallen.
Not just the start of summer cookout
So please remember the true meaning of the day. Never lose sight of the actual meaning of a holiday and teach the future generations to show respect and honor. We must remember our history. So take time to at least have a moment of silence at 3PM. It is the least you can do…….then enjoy your cook out.
