{"id":10223,"date":"2017-12-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.philips.com\/resources\/blog\/2017\/12\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers.html"},"modified":"2023-04-03T09:53:06","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T14:53:06","slug":"holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Tips for Family Caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The holidays are all about family. But planning the holidays with an aging parent can feel anything but merry and bright. Check out these tips for planning a safe and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-gift-guide-how-to-buy-gifts-for-older-parents\/\">special holiday for your older relations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Consider Their Needs &amp; Abilities<\/h2>\n<p>As caregivers, how we celebrate the holidays with our seniors depends a lot on the cognitive and physical abilities of our aging parents and other older relations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s important to be constantly assessing where your elder stands \u2014 both physically and mentally \u2014 so you can plan in what ways to involve them in your holiday celebration,\u201d advises Carol Bradley Bursack, author of <a href=\"https:\/\/mindingourelders.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if your parent is physically and mentally able, bring them to your home for at least part of your family\u2019s holiday celebration. But look for signs s\/he is becoming overwhelmed, especially in the case of Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia patients.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father developed dementia and quickly became overwhelmed in a different environment,\u201d says Bursack. \u201cIn cases like his, you can actually assign someone to watch over the elder and take them into a quiet room or home if necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If your holiday plans involve travel, she suggests making sure your elder is truly up to the trip physically and emotionally. Crowded airports and unfamiliar surroundings can be disorienting and cause physical strain even if you order wheelchair transportation. <i>Learn more about flying with an aging parent.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>If your older relations can\u2019t be with you during the holidays, they don\u2019t have to be alone. Bursack suggests relying on technology like Skype or FaceTime to create together time. \u201cAnd, of course, there are all kinds of ways to share pictures and videos, which is a great way to make someone feel included,\u201d she adds<\/p>\n<h2>Memories Make the Holiday<\/h2>\n<p>Memories are a central part of holidays. Whether your older relatives are coming to your home or you\u2019re bringing the holiday to them, create an atmosphere that focuses on memories of Christmases past even as you create new memories to celebrate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrior to the holiday, I helped my loved ones decorate their rooms with objects that were special to them \u2014 like ornaments from our childhood,\u201d says Bursack. \u201cI would take them out of the boxes and show them each one. Then we would decorate together, deciding where to put these special pieces. I tried to turn it into a real ritual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other ways to rekindle warm memories of holidays past is to go through photo albums, digital or otherwise, sing or play favorite holiday music, and provide sensory stimulation via lotions or soaps that smell of the holidays.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all about finding the right balance, making sure your elders are safe, while at the same time making the holidays a time of celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Avoiding Isolation and Loneliness<\/h2>\n<p>Feeling lonely and abandoned during the winter months is common when seniors are isolated from their families and can be exacerbated by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/what-you-need-to-know-about-seasonal-affective-disorder\/\">Seasonal Affective Disorder<\/a>. In addition to you and your kids making video calls and texting photos, schedule other family members to check in with elders, too. Arrange for in-person visits by friends or professional caregivers. In many communities, church groups or other service agencies provide free or low-cost visitations even during the holidays. Work with a local restaurant or charity to bring holiday meals in for additional holiday cheer.<\/p>\n<p>Planning for the holidays <i>and<\/i> seniors doesn\u2019t have to be a Herculean effort. Use these holiday tips for family caregivers to make sure everyone enjoys the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The holidays are all about family. But planning the holidays with an aging parent can feel anything but merry and bright. Check out these tips for planning a safe and special holiday for your older relations. Consider Their Needs &amp; Abilities As caregivers, how we celebrate the holidays with our seniors depends a lot on<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/\"> Read more >><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24239,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-caregiving","category-lifestyle"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Holiday Tips for Family Caregivers | Lifeline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The holidays are a hectic time. 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And if you care for a senior relative, you also want the holidays to be a great time for them.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lifeline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LifelineMedicalAlertService\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-12-06T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-03T14:53:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Family-at-the-holidays.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1254\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"837\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrew Bastin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrew Bastin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Andrew Bastin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/50ab178d15853031ee06af6ad13f46e5\"},\"headline\":\"Holiday Tips for Family Caregivers\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-12-06T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-03T14:53:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/\"},\"wordCount\":596,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Family-at-the-holidays.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Caregiving\",\"Lifestyle\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/\",\"name\":\"Holiday Tips for Family Caregivers | Lifeline\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-family-caregivers\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Family-at-the-holidays.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-12-06T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-03T14:53:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"The holidays are a hectic time. 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