How to Celebrate Holidays in Assisted Living
Without senior family members, holidays can feel somewhat incomplete. The stories, laughter, and warmth of their presence are all that make holidays so lively.
If your beloved senior is in an assisted living community, holiday celebrations can become different and challenging. If you want to celebrate a joyful holiday with your senior loved one, there are several things you need to consider. These include planning according to their physical and cognitive abilities, prioritizing their wishes, and coordinating with the assisted living community.
In this post, we’ll explore some tips and ideas to celebrate holidays with your senior loved one in assisted living. Read along!
5 Tips for Celebrating Holidays in an Assisted Living Community
Celebrating holidays in an assisted living community is a lot different from celebrating at home. There are policies and guidelines to follow while also ensuring that your celebration ideas are suitable for your senior loved one. Here are five tips you should consider.
Consider Their Physical and Cognitive Abilities
Firstly, you need to understand that their physical and cognitive abilities, energy levels, and interests might not be the same as they once were. They might prefer a simpler and shorter celebration. Their dietary restriction may not allow them to eat a certain type of food or drink.
Moreover, their physical condition may not allow them to move around easily, or sing, dance, and keep up with high-energy activities. So, the games and events you plan should be according to what their health allows.
Some of the simple and enjoyable activities that you can do with them are painting, scrapbooking, listening to holiday songs, watching a movie together, or playing holiday-themed games.
Give Them Appropriate Gifts
When buying a gift for your senior family member, make sure the gift is appropriate to their personal needs and health conditions. You may consider their comfort, usability, emotional value, and safety, and give them things like soft blankets, comfortable dresses, non-slip slippers, hand creams, lotions, and photo albums. These things are often used and loved by elderly people.
Avoid gifting something complicated to use or potentially dangerous for them, such as tech gadgets, electronic items, glassware, clothing without easy closure, and food or scents to which they are allergic.
Prioritize Their Wishes
The holiday season is all about enjoying what your heart desires. Ask your beloved senior what they wish to have. Who do they want to meet? Is there any food item they are longing for? Is there any activity or tradition they would like to perform? How do they like to decorate their room?
Try to plan the celebration to fulfill their wishes. If they wish for a family time, you can bring in the immediate family members and their close friends to the assisted living apartment. However, you need to ensure they don’t feel overwhelmed with too many people around.
Coordinate With the Assisted Living Community Staff Members
Before you hold the holiday celebration at the assisted living community site, consider coordinating with the staff members and keeping them involved in the planning. Every assisted living community has different policies and guidelines. Discuss your plans beforehand, ensuring you are complying with every policy.
Also, they may give you guidance about food and visitors. Since they are experienced with managing social interactions for seniors in assisted living communities, they might also offer you suggestions based on what worked well in the past.
Plan Ahead and Always Have a Backup
Arranging the celebration at the assisted living apartment requires thoughtful preparation. If you’re aiming for special celebrations, you need to plan and have multiple backup plans arranged. Consider your senior loved one’s daily routine, medication, mobility, and diet when deciding on timings, food, and activities. Also, coordinate with staff in advance to ensure a smooth and joyful celebration.
However, at the same time, be prepared if your Plan A doesn’t work out. Some seniors like to just sit and watch, while others like to actively engage. A large family gathering may seem exciting, but sometimes it is not feasible. If your senior loved one shows visible signs of discomfort and dislikes the holiday celebration, you’ll have to call it off. It is best to keep backup plans for a quiet and simple celebration, like listening to holiday music together or looking through a photo album.
Ready to Create Meaningful Memories With Your Senior Loved One? Uncover Bailey Pointe Assisted Living at Miracle Hills
Celebrating a holiday with a senior in an assisted living apartment can take extra planning and arrangement. But that doesn’t make it any less meaningful or enjoyable. Assisted living communities like Bailey Pointe Assisted Living at Miracle Hills provide the environment, support, and opportunities for you to come and celebrate these special moments with your beloved senior.
Schedule a tour today and see the lively atmosphere we have for socializing and celebrations!
