The holiday season is the time of year we gather together with family, friends, and loved ones to celebrate various religious holidays and the coming of a new year. For those family members who reside in a skilled nursing facility, loneliness and social isolation can be a serious issue that can affect their health and well being, especially during the holidays.
Even though your senior loved one may no longer be living at home, the good news is that there are still ways to help them feel important and included in holiday celebrations. Residing in a skilled nursing facility means that you will need to create and embrace new traditions to bring the holiday spirit to those who can no longer join family gatherings for holiday celebrations.
We’ve listed below some easy ways to help your senior loved one enjoy the holiday season.
Decorate Their Living Space
One of everyone’s favorite things about the holidays are the decorations and twinkling lights of the season. Even if their space is small, you can still make room for a small tree and some lights. If they have favorite decorations from holidays past, you can include some of those as well to make their space feel more like home. Hang family photos or pictures of the children with Santa on the wall. Doing this with Christmas cards is a good idea as well. Snowflake window clings are an easy way to bring a little extra holiday cheer, and are easy to put up and remove when the holidays are over.
Bake Their Favorite Holiday Treat
Everyone has a favorite baked holiday treat. Whether it’s a specialty cake, decorated sugar cookies, chocolate covered goodies, etc, including your senior loved one in enjoying the tasty treats of the holidays helps them not only remember the special times of previous celebrations, it helps them know they aren’t forgotten and that they are still very important to you. You should, however, take any special dietary restrictions into account when making holiday goodies for your loved one.
Host a Community Movie Night
Another tradition of the holiday season are Christmas movies. From classics like Charlie Brown, the Grinch, and It’s a Wonderful Life to modern favorites like the Santa Clause and Elf, everyone loves holiday movies. Speak with the activities director and ask how you can host a movie night for your loved one and other residents of the skilled nursing facility. You may even be allowed to treat the residents to holiday cookies and punch.
Recall Memories of Christmas Past
Our experiences in life make us who we are, and memories created with loved ones during the holidays are some of our most precious ones. Simply reminiscing about all the wonderful times you have shared together as a family can really go a long way in helping seniors feel included and appreciated for everything they have contributed to the family as a whole. Tell them about a memory that is special to you because of them, and ways they have made a positive impact on your life.
Elderberry HealthCare
At Elderberry, our goal is to provide personalized care to every resident, treating each person as we would treat our own loved ones. Our highly skilled professional staff provides compassionate care 24 hours a day, providing families with peace of mind that their loved one is safe and cared for. We understand how important the holiday season is for our residents and their families, and are here to assist in any way we can. Contact us today to learn more.
