A New Home for the Holidays

Posted by Donna Mae Scheib on November 03, 2017

A New Home for the Holidays

If a loved one in your family has recently made the transition to a senior living community, the holiday season can bring mixed emotions. Here are a few ideas for your family to help the loved one embrace their new home and make new memories to be cherished.

• Holiday decorations are always an exciting way to prepare for the season. Help your loved one pick out a tree, hang their favorite ornaments and put up holiday lights. Downsizing creates an opportunity to reflect on which decorations have the most meaning and pass down some items to the younger generations. It also may mean a chance to look for new decorations.
• Take the time to talk with your loved one to find out what they like or don’t like about celebrating the holidays in their new home. Being given the chance to talk about how they’re feeling will help them feel important and heard—finding a solution to their dislikes is a bonus.
• If your loved one normally hosts a big holiday dinner, see if they would feel comfortable transitioning that role to another family member. Invite them to come early if they’d like to help prepare the meal, and allow them space to make their favorite traditional foods if they so desire. Alternatively, check to see if their facility has a community room available—using this space would be an opportunity to bring the family together in the loved one’s new home and allow the loved one to invite new friends from their community to the feast!
• Talk to your loved one’s community activity director to see if a “Friendsgiving” can be hosted at the facility. This will allow your loved one the chance to gather new and old friends together to share a meal. You can place activities on the table to keep the event lively, including conversation starter cards, playing cards, and dominoes.
• Keep your loved one involved in your traditions. Invite them to a holiday concert, drive around your neighborhood to see the lights or go to a seasonal movie with the whole family.
• Invite younger family members to the senior living community to make treats and sweets for or with your loved one. At a nursing home or assisted living residence, treats like a popcorn balls or homemade fudge can be offered as thank you gifts to nursing aides and other caregivers.
• The holidays can be hard for anyone who has lost a spouse or close friend—take some time to go through photo albums and watch old home videos to remember the good times and keep spirits bright.
• Invite a local preschool to the senior living community to perform a holiday concert or play! Alternatively, bring together interested residents to sing holiday music during a night of caroling.

Holidays for seniors can be a lonely time—help make their transition to a new home a positive experience by listening to their stories, participating in old and new traditions and giving them the best gift of all—you and your family’s presence!