Senior living community celebrates Grandparent’s Day

The Watermark at Vistawilla, an assisted living and memory care community in Winter Springs, celebrated Grandparent’s Day with an ice cream social and arts and crafts for the whole family.

The community is home to many grandparents, including Jack and Diane Villagomez who have nine grandchildren between the two of them. The couple met in 1986 through a personal ad in the Panama City newspaper and dated for a year before they were married.

Jack has two children from a previous marriage and four grandchildren. While Diane has two children and five grandchildren. The Vilaagomez’s family often fills the dining room at The Watermark at Vistawilla during family dinners and was in attendance for Grandparent’s Day.

“It’s so wonderful to see them surrounded by family and know that our community serves as a place that welcomes family members of all ages,” said Patricia Wallace, Executive Director of The Watermark at Vistawilla. “We knew Grandparent’s Day had to be extra special for residents like Jack and Diane who regularly welcome their grandchildren to the community.”

During the Grandparent’s Day event, residents and their grandchildren created personalized photo frames as a keepsake to commemorate Grandparent’s Day. The community also took a photo of each grandchild with their grandparent to include in the frame. Following the craft project, the community served ice cream with all of the fixings for everyone to enjoy.

When asked what they love about being a grandparent, Diane said “I love talking with them and asking what their aspirations are and learning about what they enjoy doing.”

Jack just enjoys being with them and hopes his own children will experience that feeling one day.

“I want my children to have the opportunity one day to also know the joy of being a grandparent, like I have,” he said. “I hope to be able to enjoy being with my grandchildren for a long time to come.”

Grandparent’s Day is just one of the many family-centered events The Watermark at Vistawilla hosts throughout the year. The community also hosts family dinners monthly and welcomes adult children and grandchildren for meals and activities throughout the week.

For more information about The Watermark at Vistawilla, visit https://vistawilla.watermarkcommunities.com.