“Santa” made a visit last year to Don Shearer, AKA “Coon Dog,” a resident in the Skilled Nursing section of Lund Care Center at Concordia at Cabot.

Butler County has more than 28,000 residents aged 60 and over. Many will be alone in the coming holiday season, cut off from families by either distance or time.

To spread a bit of holiday cheer many nursing homes and assisted living centers have programs where employees, community members, churches and businesses “adopt” a resident to make sure they have a gift to open for Christmas.

Many of the Concordia Lutheran Ministries locations participate in a program called “Adopt-A-Resident.”

Skilled nursing and personal care residents provide the activities staff with a wish list. Then, an individual or group “adopt” a resident and provide a Christmas present.

Brendan Kenny, owner of the Home Instead of Senior Care in Zelienople, said his business will be taking its “Be A Santa To A Senior” program to three Butler County facilities this year: Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 107 Sunnyview Circle; Lowrie Place, 100 Stirling Village; and The Grove at Harmony, 191 Evergreen Mill Road, HarmonyKenny said his business partners with local stores — Big Lots in Alameda Plaza and Boscov's at the Clearview Mall — to put up gift trees containing tags with seniors' names and gift needs in the stores the first week of November. Givers can take a tag, buy the gift and return the gift and the tag to the store's drop-off box.Gifts will be delivered Dec. 16.

Orchard Hill Butler County, 107 Staley Ave., has joined again this year to aid Home Instead Senior Care.Kay Warheit, who's in charge of the church's efforts, said last year church members bought gifts for 65 senior citizens.The church puts up a giving tree with tags containing seniors' names and gift wishes. Members take one or two tags and go shopping.“The tree will go up the first week of November,” said Warheit. “It will end the first week in December.”

Jody Gulish, director of community and abundant life for Lutheran Senor Life, which operates Passavant Senior Living Community in Zelienople and St. John Senior Living Community in Mars, said the organization's “Gifts of Grace” program has already started.Potential donors can call her at 724-452-3534 or visit her office at the Abundant Life Center, 105 Burgess Drive, Zelienople, to get gift suggestions and recipients from her.“They can come to me directly,” said Gulish. “My goal is to ensure every resident in nursing and personal care has a gift to open on Christmas morning.”Gifts of Grace will continue until the first week of December.

Last year presents from churches, staff members and residents of the community went to between 200 and 300 residents to brighten their holiday, she said.St. Barnabas Health System, which runs retirement facilities in Beaver, Allegheny and Butler counties also has a gift program, “Presents for Patients.”But the program, now in its 36th year, is more concerned with presence than presents, according to Shelli Sommariva, director of development for St. Barnabas.She said the concept is to encourage the community to visit an individual patient in one their facilities such as Valencia Woods St. Barnabas, The Arbors at St. Barnabas, both in Valencia and the St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Gibsonia.“The holidays can be lonely, so this is an opportunity to spend time with a person,” said Sommariva. “That's the real gift, to visit spend a little time and make a new friend.”She said individuals, families or groups can call 724-443-0011 to be linked to a patient for a visit.“We'll work with them to connect them with somebody. We'll give them some ideas about their interests and some gift ideas,” said Sommariva.

VA Butler Healthcare runs an internal “Adopt A Veteran” program, according to Paula McCarl, the public affairs official for VA Healthcare.Service organizations and churches buy gifts for veterans, many of them senior citizens, in the inpatient program, the community living center and the adult day care program.“We've had this program for 20 years or more,” said McCarl. “It is grown over the years because so many want to contribute.”Anyone interested in joining in adopting a veteran this year, said McCarl, should call her at 878-271-6492.The Butler County Area Agency on Aging said any organization or church interested in participating in a senior gift program should call the agency at 724-282-3008 and ask to speak with Brittany Gilfillin.

Many of the locations in the Concordia Lutheran Ministries family participate in a program called “Adopt-A-Resident.”If interested in participating in the program, call the facility of your choice to “adopt” a resident. For those who prefer to send a general gift, the activities staff can suggest some newly purchased items that residents typically use.Items should be wrapped and labeled with either the resident's name or, if it is a general gift, what the gift is, and can be dropped off at the appropriate facility.Gift Ideas- Sweat suits- Door wreaths- Stamps and stationary- Digital clocks with large numbers- Sugar-free candy- Hair salon gift certificates- Magnifying glass- Slippers or slipper socks- Throws or blankets- Sports memorabiliaParticipating locations- Concordia at CabotCall Brandy Muth at 724-352-1571, ext. 8241 (for skilled nursing residents), or Jaime White at ext. 8302 (for personal care residents). Deadline for gifts is Dec. 16.- Concordia of CranberryCall Katelin Dietz or Beth Schultz at 724-779-4300. Deadline for gifts is Dec. 11.- Concordia at the OrchardCall Jodi Macko at 724-285-4490. Deadline for gifts is Dec. 13- Concordia of WexfordCall Michelle Moan at 724-935-1266. Deadline for gifts is Dec. 1.- St. Barnabas Health System, which has nearly 400 patients at three locations in or near Butler County, has a Presents of Patients program which pairs members of the community with patients during the holidays.For more information, call 724-443-0011.