Senior Care Fun: Creating an Ice Cream Parlor at Home

Senior Care in Wendell, NC – Enjoy a Sweet Treat with Your Elderly Loved One and Spend Quality Time with Family

Nothing says family fun like ice cream. The next time you are looking for a unique activity to add to your senior care plan, get the entire family in on the enjoyment by creating an ice cream parlor right at home. Channeling the nostalgia of old-fashioned ice cream parlors takes this sweet treat from a delicious snack to an afternoon of fun and memories. You might remember hanging out with your friends and the local ice cream parlor when you were younger and your parents may have spent some of their early date nights sharing sundaes and ice cream sodas. Bring back this simple fun by inviting your family to join you for a themed gathering you’ll want to make a tradition.

Choose Your Flavors

One of the most fun aspects of visiting an ice cream parlor is being able to choose from a wide variety of delicious flavors and make your own sweet creation. Choose several flavors your family enjoys and place them out on the kitchen counter or table to soften for a twenty minutes before you plan on serving them. If your aging parents have difficulty chewing or swallowing, avoid flavors that tend to have chunks, such as butter pecan, strawberry, or cookie dough. Instead, opt for indulgent flavors that are still smooth and easy to consume such as vanilla bean, chocolate, and coffee.

If you have a small family that does not tend to eat ice cream often, look for small containers of each flavor so you can enjoy your treat without wasting the leftovers or having a freezer full of temptation later. Make sure each flavor has its own scoop or spoon so you do not mix flavors when serving. You can also put a pitcher of warm water on the table so you can use one or two scoops and dip them in between scoops

Set Out Your Toppings

Delicious toppings are where you really get to show your creativity and make something uniquely yours. Get a small bowl for each type of topping your elderly parents, children, and others at your ice cream parlor gathering enjoy and set them out on a separate table from the ice cream to make building your sundaes easier. Try a wide variety of toppings and slip in a few unusual options for some surprising tastes, such as:

• Sprinkles
• Mini chocolate chips
• Peanut butter chips
• Gummy bears
• Chopped peanuts
• Walnuts
• Caramel sauce
• Hot fudge sauce
• Marshmallow fluff
• Maraschino cherries
• Chopped pineapple
• Peanut brittle
• Chopped mint candies
• Fresh berries
• Bananas
• Cola, strawberry soda, or cream soda to make ice cream sodas (put these in their bottles alongside the toppings or keep them in the refrigerator and let everyone know they are there if they want them)

Use themed dishes

You can find inexpensive ice cream dishes reminiscent of old fashioned parlors. Classic fluted dishes are a cute touch that makes your ice cream more special than just an everyday dessert. Give each person their own dish and take your place as the “soda jerk”, serving up each of your customers with their choice of ice cream flavors before they move on to creating their own sundaes with the toppings. For extra fun, whip up a batch of thin waffles and push it into a jumbo muffin pan while still warm. As it cools it will harden, making a sweet and edible waffle bowl for your treats.

The articles posted on this blog are provided for general information and discussion purposes only.  These articles are not intended to suggest anything with respect to the operations or services of this office.