I've been dressing my elders in white as soon as I had all my skills and everything possible.
I found that once the village is built it is rather hard to master building.
I put my villagers there first while there was something to build and then knowing that farming and parenting and medical was always available I kept them at that.
It is total patience. And being on the game quite often. Which I'm sure some mothers have a problem with.lol