Celebrate holidays with seniors safely during the pandemic.Think of the most perfect holiday season you can imagine. While that image may vary a bit for each of us, it typically includes gifts, lights, good food, and traditions passed down through the generations. Yet what rings true for all of us is the satisfaction in spending time with those we love. At Home Sweet Home In-Home Care, that includes ensuring families can fully enjoy the holidays with the seniors they love.
Yet sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused us all to reconsider best ways to safely experience the holidays with our older family members. With a bit of ingenuity and creativity, however, it is possible to bridge the gap and create new memories with the older adults you love, even if you cannot be with them in person this year.
Our aging care experts have compiled several tips to allow you to get started:
- Adjust traditions. Consider the traditions that mean the most to you and your family, and how you can change them to keep everyone safe. For instance, if the family typically gets together each year to bake cookies, you can use Zoom or a similar platform to stay connected while making cookies from home. Choose a favorite recipe, have everyone sign in at a specified time, and bake away while chatting and listening to some holiday music.
- Don’t forego decorations. Seniors who live alone often look forward to having loved ones, particularly grandchildren, visit to assist with holiday decorating. But without in-person visits, older adults might not be motivated to bother with decorations. Again, using a software program like Zoom, schedule a time for everyone to get together online and share the stories behind favorite decorations.
- Enjoy the wonderful outdoors. If weather permits, plan brief visits with older adults outside, safely socially distant and with face coverings. String lights on trees around the yard and decorate the front porch. If there’s snow, have the grandchildren build a snow fort or take part in a snowball fight while your older loved ones watch from the window.
- Send smiles. Letters, cards, pictures, phone calls, small gifts, etc. will all mean so much to older adults who will be missing time with family and friends. Coordinate with family members to take turns reaching out as much as possible in ways such as this so that your older senior loved ones are flooded with expressions of love.
- Share your emotions. There’s nothing quite as heartwarming as hearing from someone you love about the impact you’ve made on his or her life. Take this time to express your thankfulness towards the seniors you love for the difference they have made in your life, and be specific: “Grandpa, your patience with me when I was a teenager taught me what unconditional love looks like, and thanks to you, I’m a more patient person with my own kids.”
As the top-rated provider of elder care in Battle Creek, MI and surrounding communities, Home Sweet Home In-Home Care’s caregivers are experienced and fully trained in improving wellbeing for senior loved ones at home and follow strict safety protocols for each person’s protection. Contact us at (269) 373-5444 in Kalamazoo, (269) 763-5350 in Paw Paw, (269) 849-9252 in St. Joseph, or (269) 963-9888 in Battle Creek to discover how we can help make this holiday season the very best it can be for an older adult you love. For a full list of the communities we serve, please visit our Locations page.