The holiday season is upon us! With Halloween done, we are smack in the middle of all things holiday – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s. For some people, this is the most wonderful time of the year, as the old song says. But for others, it is a difficult time of year. They may be missing loved ones who have passed or are feeling lonely. It’s important to know how to help the seniors in your life thrive during the holiday season.
Seniors can thrive during the holiday season when their loved ones take a few easy steps to ensure it is a wonderful time of year for them. Introducing them to fun activities and participating with them is a great way to help them enjoy the holidays. Making sure your senior loved one takes time for self care is important. For many the holidays are a time of sadness as they miss loved ones who have passed. Self-care can help ease that ache. Ensuring that your loved one embraces past traditions is a great way to help them enjoy the holiday season. Volunteering together takes the focus off yourself, allows you to spend time together, and helps others!
In this article, we will look at a few ways to help the seniors you love thrive during the holiday season. The holiday season can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Fun activities, self care, enjoying past traditions, and volunteering are all great ways to enjoy the holiday season together.
#1 Fun Activities
An easy way to distract the senior in your life is by doing fun activities together. Besides the obvious solution of including your loved one in your holiday activities on the actual day of the holiday, doing fun activities this time of year can keep their spirits lifted and their minds distracted. Victoria Landing offers a variety of activities for your loved one that you can do with them. We encourage you to spend as much time with them as possible and enjoy our many amenities together.
From live music to lunch outings, Victoria Landing has many active events for our residents. But if your loved one prefers quiet activities, we offer those too! We have a library and movie theater, as well as many crafts and games. The main idea is to find fun activities to do together to keep your loved one distracted, occupied, and happy.
#2 Self Care
Self care is something most of us struggle with. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life that we put self care at the bottom of our to-do list. We may mistakenly assume that because someone is retired and living in a great retirement community that they have plenty of time for self care. Retirees often fill their days with activities that have nothing to do with themselves and self care falls by the wayside. During this holiday season, make sure your loved one is taking care of themselves. This may be as simple as getting a manicure or as sensitive as seeking mental health care to deal with the grief of losing a loved one. Self care can be especially important during the holidays and help ease the ache that may accompany this time of year.
#3 Embracing Traditions
Now that your loved one is living in a senior living community, it is important that they continue traditions that they have always loved. Help your loved one decorate for the holidays. If they have always decorated their Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, make a point to do that with them. If they shared a family meal every night before lighting the menorah, then set aside the time to do that. You all have to eat supper anyway! You can enjoy a delicious meal in our dining hall, take your loved one out to eat, or order in and enjoy a meal together in their apartment. Whatever their traditions were over the years, help them to keep them alive and be a part of them.
#4 Volunteer Together
Volunteering together is a great way to help your senior loved one thrive during the holiday season. It can be easy to get caught up in all the gift buying or the grief of missing someone. Volunteering allows you to meet new people. It helps get the focus on someone else. It lifts your spirit as you do something selfless and kind for someone else. And it helps you grow closer as you spend that time together. There is no downside to volunteering!
Victoria Landing Is Here For Our Seniors
At Victoria Landing, we understand that the holiday season comes with a huge variation of emotions for our residents. Some love the holidays and dive in head first. For others, they struggle during this time of year. We think it is vitally important for loved ones to be a part of the holidays here, and we welcome you to spend as much time as possible with your loved ones!
Enjoying our amenities and taking part in our activities is a great way to spend time together during the holidays. Making sure your loved one is taking the time for self care is very important. After all, it’s important for everybody! Ensuring that your loved one continues to embrace past traditions can be a special way to enjoy the holiday season together. Lastly, volunteering together can help you grow closer to each other while also helping others! We hope you and your senior loved one thoroughly enjoy your holiday season and time spent here at Victoria Landing in Melbourne, FL!
