Did you or your senior loved one recently make a much-needed move to an independent or assisted living community this year? If so, you’ve probably contemplated how holiday celebrations will be a different experience when living in a community setting. You might feel stressed or worried about the holidays becoming a difficult or emotional time for you as you continue to adjust to your new home or support your loved one through this transition.
Indeed, celebrating the season in a senior living community can feel a bit different, but it can also be filled with meaningful and memorable experiences for seniors and their families. With a supportive community and a full calendar of events and activities at your disposal, you may find the holidays are less stressful this year than ever!
So, as you plan your holiday gatherings, we’ve provided 10 tips for seniors, caregivers, and families to easily embrace the season when celebrating in a senior living community.
Holiday Concerns & Assurance for Families
It’s not uncommon for caregivers and family members to have concerns about the holidays when a loved one moves to a senior living community. Among those concerns is the underlying fear that mom or dad might struggle with a sense of loss or sadness in adjusting to their new lifestyle, or that the holidays “won’t be the same” with the family home sold and gathering space now limited.
Whatever your concerns, don’t hesitate to share them with community staff. The community’s executive director, and wellness, dining, life-enrichment, and maintenance teams should be committed to partnering with families to create and ensure a meaningful holiday experience for every resident.
10 Tips for Celebrating the Season with Your Loved Ones in a Senior Living Community
Before making your holiday plans, understand the services and amenities offered to residents during the holiday season. Ask about events taking place in the community during the holidays and how resident traditions, preferences, and interests are incorporated. Inquire about the spaces available to families and how loved ones, friends, or volunteers can be involved in the community.
Get familiar with the community’s annual traditions and make them your own by considering the 10 tips below:
Utilize community gathering spaces – Common areas and other community gathering spaces are meant to be shared - especially during the holidays! If family members are coming for a visit and can’t fit in your or your loved one’s apartment, ask about reserving a community room or other space where everyone can gather. Use the movie theater or living room for a holiday family movie night or host a brunch or dinner in the private dining room.
Most senior living communities have a well-equipped community kitchen, bistro, or café with space for baking. If holiday baking was always a priority at your home, consider adjusting the tradition and continuing this practice using the community’s kitchen instead. Residents and their families are encouraged to make the community feel like home and love when the community kitchen is being safely and respectfully used for activities like baking, which offers residents a sense of purpose any time of the year.
Decorate your apartment – Have you thought about how you will decorate your apartment, cottage, or living space for the holidays? Encourage your loved one to decorate their apartment to help create a sense of home. Residents love showing off their favorite holiday décor to friends, neighbors, and staff. Whether it’s a wreath on their door, a tree in their window, or a beautifully decorated tablescape, there are plenty of opportunities for giving meaningful decorations a starring role in your or your loved one’s new community.
Decorate the community – Decorating the community can offer a sense of belonging for residents as they share this new tradition with family and friends. Residents and their family members are often welcome to help trim holiday trees, tie on bows, and arrange décor to dress up the community. Have a special nativity set you’d like to share or a lighted menorah for the window? Speak to a staff member and let them know you’d be happy to display it in the community for the season.
Participate in community activities, events, and programs – Don’t miss the many opportunities to enjoy holiday-themed activities, events, and programs taking place in your loved one’s senior living community. Whether they are hosting a tree lighting or visit with Santa, a Hannukah or Kwannza celebration, holiday entertainment and cocktails, or a Christmas chorus, offerings are abundant for residents, families, and friends to connect during the holiday season. The best part? You don’t have to arrange a thing!
Share your family's cultural and spiritual traditions with the community – Does your family have a special cultural or spiritual tradition you would like to continue, such as a special meal, a candlelighting, a song or dance, or Scripture reading? Talk with your community’s life-enrichment director or chaplain about sharing the tradition with the community.
Senior living staff love incorporating resident traditions in community events and programs, especially during the holidays. Not only does this make the holiday more meaningful for the resident and family connected to the tradition, but it also provides other residents a unique opportunity to share a memorable experience as well.
Take advantage of holiday outings and trips – Senior living communities typically offer several holiday outings and trips for residents, whether it is a holiday lights tour, concert, or show, a visit to a museum with impressive décor, a holiday luncheon at a favorite restaurant, or a shopping trip or spa visit. With transportation provided and friends along for the ride, these trips offer a fantastic way to socialize and enjoy local attractions once enjoyed when living at home.
Reserve space for a holiday dinner – If you or your senior loved one enjoys hosting family, consider reserving a private dining space and coordinating with the community’s dining team to assist with the meal preparation and service. Not only does this offer an opportunity to show off your home for the holidays, but you can also enjoy the satisfaction of hosting without all the effort involved.
Host a holiday open house – Seniors who enjoy having guests in their homes for the holidays often love hosting an open house to welcome family, friends, or fellow residents. Even for those with smaller spaces, this intimate event is perfect for conversation, memory-sharing, and meaningful social connection. Residents with large families can arrange to have their loved ones “stop in” for an open house that lasts all day long if they desire. With a tray of cookies and holiday music in the background, the stage can be simply set for a holiday family rendezvous.
Go caroling at the community – Family members and friends looking for a holiday activity with a senior loved one can bring smiles to the faces of every resident should they choose to start a chorus of Christmas carols in their loved one’s senior living community. Make arrangements with community staff and coordinate a convenient day and time. If you’re a musician or know someone who is, offer to provide live music for a resident holiday event or play the piano for a cocktail party or afternoon tea.
Invite your church or community group to visit – Does your senior loved one have a connection to a local church or community group? Speak with community staff about having them come to visit for the holidays. Whether they host a prayer or worship service, sing, facilitate an activity, distribute holiday cards, or set up a gift-wrapping station for residents, visits like these can bring a sense of meaning and community to the holiday.
Home for the Holidays
Most importantly, remember that your loved one’s senior living community is their home, and your holiday celebrations should reflect that. You don’t have to stop doing the things that make the holidays meaningful for you, your loved one, and your family simply because you moved to a senior living community. Instead, make the most of the holiday season this year by taking advantage of all that senior living has to offer.
To learn more about the advantages of community living and how this lifestyle of connection enables residents to thrive, check out Cardinal Bay’s valuable free resources and subscribe to our blog. Schedule a visit today and experience the many benefits of life in our independent living, assisted living, and memory care communities in Texas and Oklahoma.