Should mom get a red hat to fight loneliness?
Any woman over fifty can join the Red Hat Society (RHS). Red hatters, as they’re sometimes called, get together for drinks, food, travel, and other fun activities. It’s much like any other social club, except for one trademark. Members all wear red hats when they get together. And a congregation of red-hatted women makes an impression wherever it turns up, adding to the fun.
The genesis of the Red Hat revolution is in a poem, titled “Warning” by Jenny Joseph. First published in 1962, the poem begins:
“When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.”
But it was not until the late nineties that someone got around to forming an international club around that line. The story goes that Sue Ellen Cooper found and bought a red fedora at a thrift shop in 1997. Shortly thereafter, one of Cooper’s friends turned fifty something. For a birthday gift, Cooper gave her buddy a red hat, with the instruction to maintain a sense of playfulness.
The red hat and what it came to symbolize caught on like wildfire, with chapters of the Red Hat Society forming across every one of the fifty United States. According to its desiderata, the Red Hatters have no ideology except fun, friendship, and fulfilling lifelong dreams.
Why mom should join
Isolation among people over 65 is a major killer. Being lonely often stems from loss of social networks that were sustained by work and raising children. While some seniors relish their alone time, for others, it can lead to depression, illness, and even premature death.
Home care is often the first recourse of defense against senior isolation. That’s because home care professionals come to your parents’ homes and provide companionship, rain or shine, whether a parent is in good enough health to go out or not. Home care professionals can also provide transportation to senior centers and groups like RHS and encourage seniors to stay active in these social opportunities.
How does your mother join RHS?
The Red Hat Society is a great club for older women to join because there are no membership obligations beyond being over fifty. In fact, the red hatters frequently hang with pink hatters who join the club at a younger age, with the provision that they were pink hats until they turn fifty. What does this mean? Daughters can actually join and hang with their mothers if they so choose.
Memberships are quite affordable, with the highest priced membership costing only $49 a year. There are more affordable memberships for members who want only to participate virtually. And the Red Hat Society has done a great job of keeping up with virtual social activities for members who can’t risk in-person socializing at this time.
Finding a Red Hat Chapter near your mother should be relatively easy. But if the internet doesn’t readily tell you where to sign up, the Red Hat website says to email Dianne@RedHatSociety.com and find out where to meet up. If your town doesn’t have a chapter, you or your mother can start one up. Women who start up new chapters are “queens” within the club hierarchy.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Care in Freehold Township, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Lares Home Care 888-492-3538 or 732-566-1112.
Sources
https://www.redhatsociety.com/page/register
https://www.redhatsociety.com/page/red_hat_revolution
