The Holidays and Family Traditions
2020 has been a difficult year. Of all the years that a family would want to get together for holidays and enjoy each other’s company, this is the year. Unfortunately, the spread of COVID-19 is on the rise and this means that we all need to take precautions to protect our loved ones from exposure. This year has been particularly difficult for aging persons. Loneliness and depression have set in for many. The traditions of the holidays are something they look forward to each year and families are feeling the loss of their celebrations. This means that a creative approach is needed to care for the needs of the entire family. Here are some ideas of ways that you can connect and feel close to each other, even from a distance.
- Drive by parade – If you live near your aging loved one and can arrange for family and friends to drive by and wave to them, this is a real pick-me-up. Many families have done this for birthdays and other celebrations. Make it more festive by decorating your cars and wrapping small gifts to drop off, from a distance.
- Virtual Craft Time – Create a box with an activity that the older adult will enjoy and make multiples for all family members who want to participate. Work on it while connected in a virtual meeting or work on it separately and connect virtually to share the progress and outcomes.
- Watch a Movie Together – There are a couple of ways that you can watch a movie together virtually. Several of the virtual connection tools allow the sharing of a computer screen so you could create a virtual meeting and share the movie video to all participants to watch from their own locations. If this is not an option, you can schedule a time that everyone participating will watch the movie at their own location while on a phone call to watch together.
- Virtual Meal – While most COVID regulations are requiring that families not join each other for holiday meals, a family can plan to make a small, prepared meal option to send to their aging loved ones. Then, the family can join virtually to enjoy the meal together.
While the times that we are living in are difficult and families feel separated, there are ways to draw together and support each other. We wish all of you the safest and best holiday season possible. If you would like to discuss some options that will help your aging loved one participate in activities that they enjoy, please reach out to us as we specialize in thoughtful engagement to help keep their minds and bodies active.