Navigating the holidays while caregiving can be a source of stress for both family caregivers and seniors. For family caregivers, coordinating family get-togethers, decorating, planning gifts, and completing holiday traditions is added to their already long list of tasks. If there is a crisis, or their aging loved one needs to remain in the hospital over the holidays, coordinating medical care and making decisions on future care can overshadow the chance to celebrate with friends and family.
For seniors, the holidays can bring up memories from past years, which can be painful if they have lost loved ones or are facing health issues which exclude them from participating in holiday traditions. Seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that occurs during the winter months, can provide an added level of difficulty to caregiving when it is experienced by seniors or their caregivers. If recent years have brought a change in the living situation of seniors, it can be difficult for families to adapt their expectations and traditions to the new setting.
Having an Aging Life Care Manager®’s help over the holidays can significantly reduce stress for both seniors and caregivers. Our care managers can identify the needs of seniors and connect them with the proper resources and solutions they need so that seniors can enjoy the holidays to the fullest. If seniors are experiencing seasonal affective disorder or holiday-induced grief, a care manager can connect them with a trusted therapist or grief support group as well as provide their caregivers with tips on how to alleviate certain symptoms. Our Aging Life Care Managers can lend a compassionate and objective ear to seniors, listening to their struggles and providing professional guidance through aging challenges.
Caregivers can also benefit from the care manager’s help. In addition to removing stress by coordinating medical care and creating a tailored care plan, care managers can help caregivers overcome the hurdles that holidays bring. With their expertise, our care managers provide advice on how to adapt certain activities and traditions to meet the senior’s current abilities. They can coordinate transportation for events and work with family members to ensure that the environment is safe for the senior to navigate. In cases where a senior is experiencing a form of cognitive decline, such as dementia, care managers can help to prepare visiting family members to adjust their expectations and educate them on how to interact with their aging loved one to prevent confusion or agitation. If a crisis arises, a care manager will provide emergency assistance and ensure that the senior is cared for while supporting caregivers through the necessary care decisions.
Infinity Care Solutions is here to help you and your aging loved ones navigate the challenges of aging. Reach out to us to find out more about how we can help you find peace of mind this holiday season.
Learn more about senior care around the holidays:
The Gift of Presence: Prioritizing Time with Loved Ones Over the Holidays
Free Coloring Pages for the Whole Family
Looking for Signs Your Parents Need Help While Home for the Holidays
Recent Comments