Tips to Manage the Holiday Season With Your Aging Parents
As an at-home care agency that provides compassionate at-home care services to seniors in Richmond, Glen Allen, Mechanicsville, and surrounding areas, Visiting Angels Richmond understands the challenges many adult children face as the holidays approach. It can be difficult to see our parents show signs of older age, such as struggling with mobility or feeling lonely and excluded.
Fortunately, adult children can help their aging parents navigate the stress of the holiday season. By implementing a few of the following tips, everyone’s holidays can be merry and bright.
Recognize the Loss
The holidays are supposed to be filled with joy. Yet, for some older adults, the holidays trigger feelings of deep grief and loss. Your parents may be facing their first holiday without a beloved sister, brother, or spouse. If your parents hosted holiday gatherings in the past, they may experience a different kind of loss as they transition from host to participant in holiday celebrations. Other types of loss include physical and cognitive loss due to age. Recognizing the various types of losses an aging parent faces can help families navigate the holiday season with empathy.
Create Opportunities
Our aging parents can feel displaced during the holidays, especially as families grow and individual families want to start their holiday traditions. To prevent this, adult children can create opportunities that honor their aging parents throughout their holiday celebrations. Plan a menu that uses family recipes that have been an important part of the holidays over the years. Host a cookie decorating party and invite Mom over to pass down her Christmas cookie recipe to her grandchildren. Display family photos of past holiday gatherings and take time to reminisce with Dad. Encourage your parents to share how certain family traditions originated with their grandchildren and share which traditions you’ve decided to continue with your own family.
Connect Your Parents with Local Resources
The holidays can bring to light changes in Mom or Dad simply because families spend more concentrated time together. Research local resources and programs that are available to Mom or Dad to help them navigate this new season of life. Henrico Rec & Parks offers senior wellness and recreation programs for adults aged 50 and above. If Mom or Dad are lonely, encourage them to participate in a Senior Connections Friendship Cafe. Meals on Wheels can help your aging parents if meal planning and preparation is becoming a challenge. Another local option for low-income seniors is the Dignity Food Pantry, where patrons receive a prepackaged bag of groceries. Senior Navigator is a website that helps families find local services, gives helpful tips, and answers common questions about senior care.
Talk With Their Doctor
As the end of the year approaches, December is a great month to schedule last-minute appointments with the doctor, especially if your parents have already met their insurance deductibles. If Mom or Dad seem unusually weepy or their memory seems off, encourage them to make an appointment with their primary care physician. Routine appointments can reveal underlying health concerns that may be causing memory loss or feelings of sadness. The sooner your parents can begin treatment, the better their health will be going into the new year.
As you gather with your aging parents to celebrate the holidays this year, perhaps it’s time to consider at-home care services. Visiting Angels Richmond strives to make aging-in-place a positive experience. We do this by allowing our clients to choose their caregivers and schedule care around their routines and preferences. We also work with any home health agency or nursing agency that may be assisting your parent after a recent hospitalization. To learn more about our personalized approach to at-home senior care, or to get started today, please contact us by calling 804-353-0000.