On the 8th of May, Eden Foundation’s Erlun Community-Based Long-Term Care Service Center in Yunlin held a Mother’s Day-themed event titled “Dress Up and Let’s Take Pictures Together.” The event invited seniors from the day care center to dress up in their finest, step out of the center, and participate in an outdoor photo shoot in the community. Through the lens, they captured beautiful memories and had the opportunity to showcase their confidence and charm during the holiday.
To give the seniors a professional photo shoot experience, Eden’s Care Attendants meticulously prepared their makeup, hairstyles, and outfits, complemented by cute props, ensuring each senior could appear at their most vibrant and confident. Special thanks go to the Taiwanese designer clothing brand “UUIN” for this event. In addition to providing clothing sponsorships, they arranged for the seniors to visit their Taichung branch store beforehand to select and try on outfits. The elegant and beautiful attire made the entire experience even more perfect. The photo shoot locations were specifically chosen within their everyday living environment, including the Erlun Story House, Erlun Elementary School, and the community activity center. Walking with the seniors through familiar neighborhood spaces increased their interaction with the local environment, creating unique memories to add a special touch to their daily lives.
83-year-old Granny Hsu Kuan, dressed in beautiful attire, posed earnestly for photos at Erlun Elementary School. Her confident demeanor left even her daughter in awe. Her daughter said that with her busy daily life, she rarely has the chance to go out with her mother. She expressed gratitude to Eden for organizing such a special event, which transformed the familiar neighborhood into a photo studio. Watching her mother pose for photos was deeply moving.
Although 80-year-old Granny Lee Chu had been feeling a bit under the weather these past few days, she still made sure to join everyone after resting a bit and regaining her strength. Once at the Story House, she tried out a variety of props for her photos. Even though the weather was hot, she still smiled brightly! 92-year-old Grandpa Liao Yuan who attended accompanied by his grandson, even brought his own shirt to change into and took a heartwarming photo together. His grandson explained that Grandpa’s health had deteriorated significantly two years ago due to a high fever, so they chose to bring him to the day care center to enrich his life. With the dedicated care of the staff, Grandpa is happy every day, and his family feels much more at ease.
Eden stated that this Mother’s Day event not only aimed to boost the seniors’ self-image and self-confidence but also allowed them to feel valued and seen throughout the process, while creating precious memories of their lives. At the same time, the event served as an emotional bridge between family members and the seniors, allowing families to see their loved ones’ happy and carefree sides through the photos. For example, Granny Yue-Hsiang’s daughter said that every time the day care center holds an event, her mother looks forward to having family by her side. She specifically took time off work to attend this event, which made her mother happy all day long.
Eden’s Erlun Community-Based Long-Term Care Center in Yunlin has long provided a variety of services, including a Senior Day Care Center and an Active Aging Fitness Club. By integrating cultural and recreational activities, transportation services, professional assessments, meal care, and individualized activities, the center supports seniors in aging healthily in place and assists alleviate the burden on family caregivers. In the future, the center will continue to design diverse activities to enrich the lives of the seniors, foster a sense of participation, and enable them to live with peace of mind in their local community.
