Five Tips to Make the Holidays Easier for Seniors

Wellness  |  December 12, 2023

What Everyone in North and West Vancouver Needs to Know About Making the Holidays Easier for Seniors and Their Families

Make the Holidays Easier for Seniors | Here are five tips to make the holidays easier for seniors. The holidays are joyous times that inspire feelings of togetherness, fond recollections of past times, and hope for the future. Family gatherings and even those with friends are sure to lift one’s spirits as new memories are forged among people of all ages.

For seniors, many times holidays bring about certain challenges that present with aging. Some challenges are common while others may be unique to the individual. In any case, the result may induce feelings of immense stress and upheaval even during times of holiday cheer. If you have a senior in your life, whether family or friend, the following tips will help you recognize some of these challenges as well as offer ways to alleviate the stress they may cause.

Related Article: Holiday Scams; What Seniors Should Look Out For

Five Tips to Make the Holidays Easier for Seniors

1. Cooking for Holiday Gatherings: Cooking large meals for holiday gatherings may be hard for a senior to accomplish. The reasons may vary from not being accustomed to preparing large meals to the orchestration it involves to pull it off. Offer to help plan and prepare the meal together. This takes the pressure off the senior of doing it all alone and provides bonding time for you both! An alternative would be to host the dinner in your own home or ask guests to bring their favorite prepared dishes to share.

2. Traveling to Holiday Events or Parties: Occasionally gatherings may require travel, whether in town or out. Sometimes, driving (especially at night) may be intimidating for seniors with troubled eyesight. Offer to attend parties or events with the seniors so they feel more comfortable about going.

3. Dealing with Loneliness and Isolation: Some seniors, especially those who have lost a spouse or other beloved elderly friends, may experience increased loneliness during the holidays. Others may become mildly depressed for the same reasons, which can lead to a greater sense of isolation. To potentially prevent this from happening, make sure to visit the senior in your life often during the holidays. Offer to take them to holiday events. Have fun baking holiday goodies together. Even helping address Christmas cards and chatting over a cup of warm apple cider can lift everyone’s spirits.

4. Presents: The gift of giving has become a fun hallmark of the Christmas season. However, for seniors presents can cause stress for various reasons. Some may be on limited budgets and unable to purchase gifts for all family members, or become simply overwhelmed by the idea of shopping in crowded stores. Other seniors may have problems wrapping gifts because of arthritis. You can help by suggesting family and groups of friends draw names to alleviate cost burdens for all. Offer to join a senior on a shopping spree to assist in choosing gifts and navigating crowds. Or, ask the senior to provide you with a shopping list and complete that task for them. Encourage the use of gift bags instead of wrapping presents, or plan a present-wrapping afternoon so you can help.

5. Hire a Caregiver to Assist: The bustling holiday season is the perfect time to consider hiring a temporary caregiver to help with all elements of holiday preparations. Companies such as Comfort Keepers^® assist seniors in areas of light housekeeping, accompanying seniors to social functions, meal preparation and even helping with Christmas cards and wrapping presents. This might be especially important if your senior loved one lives far away from family. As caregivers who specialize in caring for the senior population, Comfort Keepers^® can provide help and company to ensure your loved one has a happy holiday season.

Bonus Article: Interactive Caregiving

Comfort Keepers® North Vancouver and West Vancouver Can Help Make the Holidays Easier for Seniors!

The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to spend time with friends, family, neighbors, and all others who bring joy to our lives. That makes it all the more difficult to imagine that there are those out there who wish to rob people of that joy – but they are out there. At Comfort Keepers^®, we aim to preserve the joy, warmth and wonder that seniors and other adults cherish during the holiday season.

Worried about the health and welfare of an elderly relative? Comfort Keepers® can make a difference. Our team of expert in-home caregivers will strive to ensure your senior loved one has the best quality of life possible, bringing joy and good health to their home environment. Our Interactive Caregiving™ program ensures all needs in terms of safety, nutrition, mental well-being, and everyday activities of home care services are met.

Quality Accredited Homecare: Happier, Healthier, and at Home!

Do you need Home Care in North Vancouver & West Vancouver for you or a loved one? Comfort Keepers® help seniors in North Vancouver and West Vancouver, along with the surrounding areas, to live happy, healthy lives in the comfort of their own homes by providing quality, compassionate care, and safety technology solutions to preserve independence and contribute to a better life.

Moreover, our seasoned in-home caregivers are carefully chosen based on their quality of being empathetic. Our care centers around companionship for seniors. This is the kind of care that originates from the soul and allows us to meet our client’s requirements. Learn more about our unique service offering by contacting the Comfort Keepers North Vancouver and West Vancouver office.

Comfort Keepers, the premium home care service for Seniors on the North Shore, was awarded the “Accredited with Exemplary Standing” seal by Accreditation Canada. Achieving the highest available certification in Canada for Accredited Home care services demonstrates Comfort Keepers’ commitment to offering safe, high-quality home care to its senior clients in North Vancouver and West Vancouver.

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