Home Care Services: The holidays get complicated quickly and it helps if you can take some steps now to make this time of year a little easier on your elderly family member.
Here are some ideas you and your home care services provider can consider.
Talk to Relatives about What to Expect
It’s possible that your senior’s life and daily experiences are different than they’ve been in the past. That can be a big surprise for other family members that might only see your elderly family member around the holidays. Letting them know what to expect before they arrive can help a bit.
Look for Ways to Adjust Family Traditions
It can also help to find ways in advance to make adjustments to family traditions. Talk to your senior about what traditions and events are most important to her. These are some of the experiences that you want to preserve as much as possible for your family, but you may need to modify them a bit for everyone to participate.
Keep Your Senior Involved
When you keep your senior involved as much as possible in holiday preparations. It might be exhausting to decorate the house completely, but she can still help with aspects of decorations and meal preparation. Even if there’s not a lot that your senior can do to help, offering her choices also keeps her involved.
Minimize Frustration Where You Can
The holiday season might be the first time that your senior starts to realize how her life has changed. It might be the first time that her health has taken a hit that leaves her feeling as if she just can’t participate in what’s going on. Having home care assistance with difficult tasks can reduce your senior’s stress levels considerably. Elderly care providers can help your elderly family member to manage household tasks, personal care tasks, and more, freeing up her energy to spend time with family.
Take Steps to Ease Your Own Stress
Your own stress levels are bound to be at an all-time high during the holidays, too. There’s a lot to get done and a lot demanding your attention. Home care assistance can offer you respite time that ensures your senior is taken care of while you have to be elsewhere. That can also be a good way to carve out some time just for yourself, so that you’re prepared for all of the excitement during this time of year.
Planning ahead a little bit and lining up some extra help such as home care services allows you and your senior to have a less stressful holiday season.