Tips for Streamlining Holiday Celebrations for a Less Stressful Season
When you think about the holidays, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it running all over town shopping, scrambling to wrap gifts, struggling to get all your baking and cooking down, and rushing to make sure you can get to all of the activities and events you need to do? This is simply too much, and if you are a family caregiver for an elderly adult, it is even more stressful and challenging. You want the holidays to be filled with traditions and fun, but you also want to actually enjoy the time you spend with your family and know that all of their needs are being met effectively. Streamlining your holiday celebrations can create a less stressful season and a more enjoyable experience for everyone.
Caregiver in Oakton VA: Streamlining Holiday CelebrationsUse these tips to help you streamline holiday celebrations for a less stressful season:
- If your family gets together for a large holiday meal, consider making it a potluck. Ask everyone to bring something specific so you can make sure that the entire meal is taken care of.
- Rather than gathering for one large meal, consider having an open house. This allows your parent to relax in their familiar environment while friends and family come to see them when it works for them.
- Choose names for adult gifts so everyone is responsible for choosing one gift.
- Alternately, agree not to give gifts this year and instead plan to put all the money that would have been spent on gifts together to pay for a family vacation.
- Meet with different groups of family on other days than the holiday itself. Rather than trying to run around and visit everyone on one day, or get everyone in the same house, agree to visit with different smaller groups in the days leading up to and the days after the celebration.
The one thing you can predict when you are a family caregiver is that caring for an aging adult is unpredictable. Needs change, health issues and symptoms develop, and your own schedule and abilities can shift, making it more difficult for you to fulfill your senior’s needs on a regular basis. Having home care as a part of your care routine from early in the journey makes these transitions smoother and easier to adapt to for both your parents and you. Because the care of a senior home care services provider is completely customizable, both your parent and you can feel absolutely confident that they are always getting what they need to manage their health, stay safe, pursue more activity and independence, and live an overall better lifestyle and quality of life.