If your loved one has recently moved to a senior community, they may be stressed about the changes that accompany a move. At Senior Lifestyle, we understand that any move can be stressful, and we know that for most, holiday traditions and celebrations must evolve to accommodate the changes that come with a change of address. If this is the first holiday in a senior community for your loved one, new traditions may be the key to a stress-free celebration.
If your family’s holiday traditions have centered around gatherings in your senior loved one’s home, moving the celebration to another family member’s home can ease the transition for your loved one in a senior community. If Grandma has always been in charge of the meal preparation, dividing up the labor required for that task may also ease the stress for family members as well as for your loved one. It may be difficult for a senior to give up these responsibilities, so be sure to find ways to keep holiday traditions inclusive for the senior. Perhaps instead of taking on the entire meal, preparing a favorite dish for the meal may be a meaningful new tradition for your loved one.
It’s very easy to become overwhelmed by the urge to make the holiday season perfect in every way, focusing on minute details and forgetting about the very real joys to be experienced. The need to micro-manage get-togethers, meals and gifts can sabotage what should be a time of togetherness. Oftentimes, we simply want the very best for our family and friends, forgetting that what’s most important to them is the time spent together. This is a time when it really IS “the thought that counts.” At Senior Lifestyle, we know that simple pleasures and gifts of the heart are the most meaningful and the holiday traditions that have endured are the ones that feature laughter and togetherness.
Senior Lifestyle communities offer residents and families numerous events designed to make the most of the holiday season with new friends, from singalongs to socials, so be sure to take advantage of these opportunities to make the season bright and create new traditions to cherish! For more information about a Senior Lifestyle community in your area, please visit our website at www.seniorlifestyle.com.