December 3, 2020
Honor holiday traditions and create new ones with seniors, while maintaining safety.
Think of the most perfect holiday season you can possibly imagine. While that image may vary a little for each of us, helping seniors maintain holiday traditions typically include gifts, lights, good food, and holiday traditions passed down through the generations. Yet what absolutely holds true for all of us is the happiness in spending time with the people we love.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has, of course, caused all of us to rethink how to safely enjoy the holidays with our older family members. With a little bit of ingenuity and creativity, however, it’s possible to bridge the gap and create new memories with the older adults you love, even if you can’t be with them in person this year.
Our aging care experts have gathered a handful of ideas to allow you to get started:
- Tweak traditions. Think through the traditions that mean the most to you as well as your family, and how you can alter them to help keep everyone safe. For example, if the family typically gets together every year to bake cookies, you might use Zoom or a comparable platform to stay connected while baking from home. Select a favorite recipe, have everybody log on at a designated time, and bake away while chatting and listening to some holiday music.
- Don’t do away with decorating. Older adults who live alone usually look forward to having family members, specifically grandchildren, visit to help with holiday decorations. Without in-person visits, seniors might not be motivated to bother with decorations. Again, using a software program like Zoom, set up a time for the whole family to get together online and share the stories behind treasured decorations.
- Enjoy the wonderful outdoors. If weather allows, plan short visits with older adults outside, safely socially distant and with face coverings. String lights on trees around the yard and decorate the front porch. In the case of snow, have the grandchildren build a snowman or engage in a snowball fight while your older loved ones watch from the window.
- Send smiles. Pictures, cards, letters, telephone calls, small gifts, etc. will all mean a great deal to seniors who are missing time with family and friends. Coordinate with members of the family to take turns reaching out as much as possible in ways like this so that your older senior loved ones are overwhelmed with expressions of love.
- Share your feelings. There is nothing quite as heartwarming as hearing from someone you love about the impact you have made on his or her life. Take this time to express your thankfulness to the seniors you love for the difference they’ve made in your daily life, and be specific: “Grandpa, your patience with me when I was a teenager taught me what unconditional love looks like, and because of you, I am a far more patient person with my own children.”
Continuum’s care providers are experienced and highly trained in improving quality of life for older adults in the home, and follow strict safety protocols for every person’s protection. If you need help at home in St. Louis and surrounding communities over the holidays, call us at (314) 863-9912 to discover how we can help make this holiday season the best it can be for a senior you love with our top-rated private home care in St. Louis and the surrounding communities.