Home Care and the Holidays
There’s no place like home for the holidays–especially when all our loved ones are happy and safe.
During the holiday season, traditions and celebrations are things our patients really look forward to. With regards to caregiving, holidays can be a time when family members are in abundance, or when typical family caregivers are stretched thin because of all the holiday festivities. Whatever is going on in your family, if you have elderly members to think and care about, it’s important to remember that holiday changes can affect them the most.
Holiday updates: Safety at Home
Older adults are statistically more prone to falls (with 20% of falls causing serious injury). One of the leading causes of falls, in otherwise healthy adults, is hazards around the home. While it’s fun to decorate for the holidays, some can be worrisome if older adults are around. Furniture rearranged to fit extra guests, decorations that could be tripped over, new rugs purchased to freshen up a space…all of these things are listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as potential problems that lead to falls.
This doesn’t mean you can’t make updates, decorate, or make space for visitors. What it does mean is that these things should be thought of with grandparents or other elderly occupants in mind. If items are moved or added, just giving everyone a heads up can be a simple way to keep everyone aware and alert.
New & old traditions
Holiday traditions can be some of the most treasured parts of the holiday season. Our team always feels lucky to be part of so many different holidays from so many cultures. In the New York area, we currently work with people in almost a dozen different languages, with even more numerous beliefs, traditions and needs for the holidays.
Keeping traditions consistent can be very important to the overall happiness and mental health of the people we care for. Many times our patients can be resistant to changes their family makes because they feel caught off guard or feel like changes were made without them. If you are making new plans, including your older relatives at the start can help them feel more relaxed and open to the updates.
Changes in Caregivers
Another big thing during the holidays is changes to in-home caregivers. This can be a result of caregivers taking personal time, or family members who provide care needing extra help. It may also be the case where an elderly person needs extra care while visiting another family’s home.
Whatever the reason may be, an update to any caregiver situation is best approached in similar ways to holiday traditions. This means that the person needing care should be as much a part of these discussions and decisions as they can be. Especially if this is the first holiday with a caregiver, patients can feel like they’ve lost some independence, or that they just can’t celebrate like they’ve done in the past.
But this can’t be further from the truth! The whole point of having a home health aide is to help people feel more independent and capable, while being there to give them support they need. As we mentioned earlier, our caregivers love to share the holidays with their patients, and we strive to always help them feel comfortable in celebrating their time-honored traditions.
Helping people happily keep their traditions and beliefs is just one of the reasons Caring Professionals was created. We purposefully match patients with caregivers who speak their language and have a deep understanding of the patient’s culture and traditions. All this to make sure everyone’s experience is enjoyable, and that all needs are met.
If you would like to learn more about the services we can provide your loved ones in regards to traditions, beliefs or other personal needs and preferences, feel free to reach out. Our team will gladly share more about our process, and how we help find each person the perfect home health aide.
