The holiday season is meant to be a time for family and celebration. Lack of mobility and health issues can keep older persons from participating in all of the activities they once enjoyed. This can lead to frustration and depression, but there are many things you can do to ensure your elderly loved ones enjoy the season. Creating new memories that everyone can cherish for years to come can go a long way to brightening the holidays for you and the older members of your family. The great news is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to help elderly loved ones celebrate, but your efforts will make a big difference.
Have a Decorating Party
Plan a decorating party to help get their home ready for the holidays. Set a date, invite friends and family, and make a day of it. You can pick up some Christmas lights for sale and pull out favorite decorations that your loved ones have enjoyed over the years and help get everything in place so that your elderly family members can appreciate meaningful decor that connects them to cherished memories. Spending time together decorating can be a great way to continue the tradition of putting ornaments on the tree together and setting up Christmas lights.
Share Music
Make sure your elderly loved ones have working hearing aids so that they can enjoy all the sounds of the season. Music can help combat depression. In fact, it offers physical benefits for individuals who are ill or facing surgery. Listening to music and singing also helps combat symptoms of dementia. The holidays are strongly associated with music and your older family members may enjoy going to seasonal events to hear choirs sing. You can also bring music to your family by organizing a choir to come and sing carols at their home.
Plan a Holiday Tour
There are a lot of beautiful sights to enjoy during the holiday season. Christmas train displays are popular attractions. You may also have family members who enjoy craft fairs. Churches and art centers host festivals of trees and wreaths. You may even have an older family member who is a big kid at heart and wants to go see Santa, or take their pet to see Santa. For those who don’t want to deal with crowds and cold, there are neighborhoods and businesses known for setting up beautiful light displays you can view from your car. There may even be a place close by that has a drive-thru light display with music that your whole family will enjoy.
Connect With Friends and Family
As people age, they may face mobility issues which can affect their ability to socialize. Seeing friends and family is important. Your loved ones will appreciate it if you make yourself available to provide transportation so that they can visit with friends and family. Find out if any of your family members’ friends are hospitalized or ill. One of the greatest gifts you can give your family members is the chance to visit friends in-person. That may mean picking friends up and bringing them to your family members’ home, setting up lunch at a local restaurant, or taking your relatives to visit their friends at their homes.
Spend Quality Time Together
The most important thing you can do for your elderly loved ones is to spend some quality time with them. You can plan a watch party if you have a grandfather who loves sports or watching holiday movies. The holidays are associated with plenty of seasonal treats, and you may have an older aunt, uncle, or parent who enjoys baking. Plan a date to bake some pies and gingerbread cookies. If your elderly loved ones prefer games, you can set aside some afternoons to play cards. Perhaps you’d like to work on a scrapbook project together.
When it comes to your eldery loved ones, certain considerations need to be made in planning any activity. Whatever you decide to do, your family members will appreciate the time you spend with them over the holidays and throughout the entire year.