How Seasonal Home Care can Help Your Loved One During the Holidays
As the end of the year approaches, the holidays come in almost rapid secession: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanza, and New Year. For most of us, the holidays are a time for friends and family, but they are also often a time when we spread ourselves too thinly, overbook ourselves, and generally put pressure on ourselves to accomplish more than we can handle.
However, with an aging parent, that late-year holiday stress is compounded, and this is true for both adult children and their aging parents. Maybe, for now, your loved one is still self-sufficient and can organize their routine and keep their home in order with minimal help from her family. However, this time of year can be busy, and your loved one may need help staying on top of things. There are gifts to buy and wrap, family events to attend, social events, and meals to cook. Suddenly, usual routines are hard to manage.
The season is just as busy for adult children too, and things can get complicated if your parent relies on family visits. The effects of socialization on senior health cannot be underestimated. Isolation can lead to problems, including depression, health issues, and cognitive decline. Thirty-three percent of people over the age of 65 live alone; by the time a senior is 85, that number is 50 percent. Studies show that seniors are becoming more and more isolated; around 40 percent of seniors surveyed said they felt lonely. If your loved one relies on your visits for social interaction, add that to the growing list of responsibilities you have this holiday season.
Help for Hard Times During Holidays
The American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry says that the holidays can be a stressful time for seniors. It can be a time of reflection when they miss loved ones who are no longer with them or even lost traditions. Seniors may also miss family living too far away and unable to travel. It’s natural to feel some "holiday blues," but it is essential to look out for the differences between that and full-blown depression.
One option to help a loved one and family members who support them year-round are seasonal professional in-home care services. It may seem like a drastic step; overall, your loved one is independent and not in need of permanent care at this stage of their life. But, remember that professional care doesn’t have to be a full-time, round-the-clock home care service. However, a caregiver can be a helpful, temporary addition for the short time of the year when a little extra help is needed.
Consider the immediate benefits. A professional caregiver can help your loved one with not only holiday endeavors but also everyday tasks, like cleaning, meal prep, driving or running errands. Think of the busy roads and malls during this time. A professional caregiver can help navigate the chaos to shop and even assist with gift-wrapping.
A particularly popular service during the holiday season is companion care. Whether Mom has less company because you are more occupied, or is lonely because she's missing Dad or other family or friends, having a professional caregiver to help pass the time, chat and keep her mind active, or even play a card game, could make a difference not only to her mental health but also her physical wellbeing.
Flexibility When It’s Needed Most
Seasonal home care is flexible. Talk to your aging parent about the times of day they need help with the most during the holiday season, and a professional caregiver or home health aide (HHA) can visit your loved one as little or as often as needed. Consider starting with eight hours of care per week will give your loved one and the caregiver a real chance to bond and determine if more shifts are needed.
It’s also important to remember that this seasonal care isn’t just for your loved one. It also provides respite care that could help get your entire family through a hectic time of year. Nobody wants to leave a parent or loved one alone during the holidays, but time is a limited resource, especially for adult children with a family of their own. Far too often, leaving an elderly loved one alone leaves adult children with feelings of guilt. Merely knowing that they are in good hands can allow you to make the most of the time that you spend apart.
Although your family member may not need full-time home care right now, hiring seasonal care gives you a head start should your loved one’s requirements change. Having an existing relationship with a professional home caregiver could make the transition to regular homecare less stressful.
About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton:
Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning local home care agency providing high caliber in-home care services to the elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our Alzheimer's home care, dementia care, companion care, senior care, respite support, transitional aid, and at home living assistance in Norwood, Westwood, Brookline, Watertown, Needham, Dedham, Canton, Stoughton, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Chestnut Hill, Roslindale, and nearby towns.
We are honored to have been awarded Top Places to Work by the Boston Globe for five years. We have also earned the Best of Home Care – Leader in Excellence, Trusted Provider, Best of Home Care Provider, and Best of Home Care Employer by Home Care Pulse. We are proudly accredited by The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts.
While non-medical in nature, the care provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can make a significant impact on your loved one's happiness and quality of life. Call us at 617-795-2727 for information.
References:
American Medical Resource Institute. The Guide to Overcoming Holiday Depression for the Elderly and Their Caretakers. https://www.aclsonline.us/articles/the-guide-to-overcoming-holiday-depression-for-the-elderly-and-their-caretakers/
New York Times. How Social Isolation Is Killing Us. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/upshot/how-social-isolation-is-killing-us.html