Often, as people grow older, the meaning of Christmas changes and can become associated with sadness and loneliness because so many of those with whom you are related have passed away.
I believe it is very positive to share moments with those nearest and dearest, especially during this time of Christmas, when sorrow often intrudes as we remember those we have lost. The only way to improve your condition is with love and companionship. Family bonding helps older people to feel happier and less lonely, but many older people lack family and need help to get out of loneliness.
There are many ways for older people to spend a great Christmas and also improve their mood with their loved ones or those with whom they spend these dates.
We associate Christmas with joy, good times with others and good company. Often, however, feelings and memories of people from the past make Christmas more sad than joyful. There is a huge difference in how older people spend their holidays, since the way they are, their financial situation, and any other problems may determine a lot of their mood. So, here are a few tips for making Christmas memorable for the elderly.
How to help the elderly to enjoy Christmas
Christmas is fast approaching, but older people may find themselves alone and facing a gray time as they prepare for the long-awaited event. There are many reasons for older people not to be grouped with their families: Children who cannot move from other cities or countries, elderly widowers without family, etc.
There are many elderly people who spend these days alone, without anyone to brighten their day and give them affection. Thus, several organizations and Social Service agencies work together to provide a Christmas in company for the elderly in these cold and magical days. The loneliness vanishes when we see how many elderly people are lonely. The illusion of lost smiles is created by a meal, a few Christmas carols, a small gift, and a few conversations with new friends. The loneliness of older people is one of their main threats. It creates an emptiness that leads to depression. During the holiday season, this feeling is even worse. Outstretched hands, a smile, someone who listens, a hug… these are the best remedies for loneliness. To make the lives of the elderly happier and to relieve their loneliness, any effort, no matter how small, is good and necessary.
According to several studies, Christmas is associated with increased cardiovascular and emotional disorders. There is nothing more important than affection, company, and attention during the Christmas season. Having support and help from home caregivers is therefore crucial to offer older people who live alone or spend long periods without company the care and attention they deserve, especially at Christmas.
How to Help Seniors and elder people For Christmas
Help the elderly to combat loneliness and feel happier Many elderly people will be helped to recover from the sadness and loneliness they experience by giving them time, attention, and empathy. What can we do to help them?
- Make sure you keep in touch with your family and close friends. These calls can often be the only contact this person has.
- Keep an older neighbor company by visiting them often, letting them know they can rely on you in times of need.
- Volunteer in a residence or with people who live alone by joining a volunteer program. There are many grandparents who would appreciate the friendship of someone willing to accompany them on a walk, to play a board game, to read to them, or to simply listen to them. Volunteering is a vital part of fighting loneliness.
Giving our elders an extra dose of love is the best way to make sure they face Christmas positively and give them the best gift they could get this year!
How to celebrate Christmas with older adults
This article discusses how to celebrate Christmas with older adults and how important it is for them.
Go shopping with your seniors & elders
Many aspects of Christmas celebrations, such as dinners, exchanges, decorations, etc., must be planned. It is necessary to do this shopping to perform these rituals, an activity in which you can include the older adults you live with or visit. As a result, they will know they are important and are included in home decision-making. You must understand that the rhythm of their lives is different from yours, and you must learn to adapt to it. Don’t put pressure on them and be patient by listening.
Prepare dinner and celebrate Christmas with older adults
Assisting older adults in preparing the meal is another way to celebrate Christmas with them. You can assign them a task or let them decide what they want to do. So they can stay active without being overburdened, as their motor skills are different and they might get tired or injured. Similarly, you can ask them for advice on preparing dishes, as they have experience, and maybe only they know the secret star recipe.
Decorate the house for christmas
If you want them to help you with your home decorations, you can ask them to set up the tree and decorate it, or put up lights and hang decorations. You can also build a nativity scene with them and share your ideas. Crafts are typically occupational therapy for them. You can suggest that they make their own ornaments. Doing these activities can also help to ease boredom and stress, as well as to strengthen family bonds.
Don’t give them tasks they can’t handle, such as hanging ornaments in high places or moving heavy items, as they can cause accidents.
Make Christmas cards
Giving older adults Christmas cards is a great way to express your affection and gratitude. It is more meaningful to make a gift with your own hands, and they can participate by making their own gift cards.
Make packages with sweets to give as gifts
It is a playful way to spend time with older adults building packages with candy with Christmas-themed figures. By doing so, they can strengthen family ties as well as have a good time with them.
Games to celebrate Christmas with older adults
Playing board games with older adults is another way to celebrate Christmas with them. The benefits of board games include improving moods and strengthening social and family relationships among the elderly. Ensure that the elderly can participate in and understand board games. They can include classic games like chess, dominoes, card games or bingo, Chinese checkers, the world tourist, etc. Even grandchildren can interact with their grandparents through video games, puzzles, and Lego blocks. Bringing the family together at Christmas is an important aspect of the holiday season.
Tell stories on Christmas
When you have a family Christmas, telling stories is one of the most entertaining activities, and older adults are a fantastic source of stories. Since the family listens to them and supports them, this activity improves their quality of life and memory. Learning about the adventures and experiences that they have had throughout their lives is always interesting. Telling or reading stories to their grandchildren is also a therapeutic and enjoyable activity for older adults. During a story, the elderly can recall experiences and important moments in their life, which improves their mood. Additionally, they can impart to your grandchildren the meaning and importance of Christmas.
Sing Christmas carols or songs For Elders and Seniors
One of the playful activities that you can do with older adults is singing Christmas carols. Because of their experience, they must know many songs or carols that you can learn from them. Additionally, you are able to give them a good time and make sure they have a pleasant time.
Visit family and friends With Elders and seniors adults on christmas
Christmas is a time when it is common to visit friends and family that you have not seen in a while for a variety of reasons. Visits with your parents or grandparents are a good way to strengthen bonds with them, and you will enjoy reminiscing about pleasant times with them.
Christmas dinner and exchange with seniors
Christmas dinner and gift exchange are two of the most important rituals for elderly people. Always make sure to take good care of them and make them feel good. You must remember that they value the intention and not the present cost. Also, you need to pay attention to their diet and medications. Dinner should be prepared with these aspects in mind since older adults need a specific diet. The elderly usually go to sleep earlier because their pace of life is different than your own. Respect their schedules and do not overwhelm them; dinner and exchanges can be scheduled at a convenient time for them.
ACTIVITIES FOR SENIORS AT CHRISTMAS
In order to prevent loneliness in older people, psychologists recommend that they don’t stay at home and that they enjoy free time.
The key to keeping older people active and entertained is to cater to their tastes and hobbies throughout the year, but particularly during the holiday season, But Before this we need to know that what make them comfortable and feel happy during holidays and christmas season.
- Let’s consider their favorite activities and do those with them. Most of the time, building a company is more rewarding than developing an activity.
- Get them involved in your Christmas preparations. Simple tasks such as decorating the tree, arranging the Nativity scene figures, setting the Christmas Eve table, or even cooking, can significantly improve your mood.
- Christmas carols may seem boring to some, but they are something that encourages us all. Moreover, we can learn old Christmas customs from our elders and meet old Christmas customs.
- This is not only a great alternative for them, but for everyone who participates, as a 20-minute or 30-minute ride through the Christmas lights and the Christmas atmosphere is very beneficial.
- Engage them in conversations that do not dwell so much on the past, make them see the present for all its benefits.
- A certain degree of respect should also be shown to the elderly’s quiet moments and routines.
- At Christmas, adults can make a wide variety of crafts, which children love. Along with enhancing the Christmas atmosphere, making handmade Christmas decorations improves mood and streamlines the mind. These are all great benefits.
- Be sure to keep a healthy and adequate diet during the holiday season as well. Due to a slower digestive process and other pathologies associated with aging, older people tend to be more affected by digestion problems. It is important to pay attention to portions, meals rhythms, and moderation of certain foods.
Benefits of arts and crafts for elderly
It is common to find that when people reach retirement age they have a great deal of free time, but they do not know what to do with it, which can be harmful as they are no longer useful and so they become depressed. Making crafts that keep people entertained and busy for an extended period of time is an easy way to prevent this.
Even though certain crafts require specific tools, most can be made with materials that almost anyone can afford, regardless of their age or health, with ingenuity and patience. Active aging is all about craft.
What are the benefits of crafts for the elderly?
Multiple benefits can be derived from crafts and in very different ways. Crafts stimulate the brain, develop psychomotor skills, and develop socialization skills.
Elaborating objects manually increases the mobility, strength, and elasticity of elderly people, as well as preventing or reducing diseases such as osteoarthritis, since it is performed with the hands and improves their mobility. By having to pay attention to details, they are also kept active, such as their vision, since they are cutting, pasting, or threading different parts of the constructed object.
Due to the fact that these are activities that require concentration and attention, in addition to the physical benefits, they are beneficial for daily activities such as cooking, staying independent.
Additionally, crafts are psychologically and socially beneficial , as they boost self-esteem and mood when seeing that, despite having a birthday, it is still useful and capable of doing manual work accurately and satisfactorily. Socialization is improved when older people are able to carry out these types of tasks, since if it is a complex and large craft, they can do it with family members or others of any age.
What crafts to do to seniors?
Those who are elderly should be aware of what they can and cannot do before starting a craft, since the state of their health affects the level and difficulty of the activity.
The deterioration of manual and vision capacity must be taken into account because there is a risk of cutting, so simpler crafts would be required.
The elderly can, however, perform almost any craft with patience, effort, and some help, keeping their physical capacities active for longer, helping them to remain independent on a daily basis.
Salvation Army Christmas assistance for Seniors and Elders
Salvation army is a reputed Charity that is also know as a religious organization working for various communities help, Older people can also get assistance help from salvation army at christmas, to apply for salvation army assistance for seniors and elders for christmas the applicant has to fulfil some basic criteria.
- The Family or elder person who is seeking help with christmas must belong to Oswego, Montgomery, North Aurora or Aurora, or if you are a permanent resident of usa you can get it from your nearby salvation army office.
- The family or senior must be living in or must be a resident of given pin code 60502, 60503, 60504, 60505, 60506, 60507, 60512, 60538, 60542, 60543, 60563, 60564, 60568, 60569, 60585, 60598, 60599. If you live outside of these locations dont worry, you can call salvation army 773-205-3690 or can email to them by mentioning the city and state name to get the assistance from your local salvation army office.
- The Senior’s age must not be less than 62 years.
- Two applicants with the age of 62 can apply by filling one form. If You have more seniors at your home dont worry just give a call to 630-897-7265 and salvation army representative will assist you for further assistance.
- The applicant must be carrying The documents such as birth certificate, photo ID, proof of income, medical card.
- While you are applying for Salvation army assistance for seniors on christmas must remember the proof of address is a very important document, the senior that is applying for this assistance must procure the valid document such as current bill, Bank statement, Cable Bill, Telephone bill, Electricity and gas bill.
- You can submit.
How to Apply for Salvation army christmas assistance for seniors or elderly
To apply for salvation army assistance for seniors program, the senior or older adult must fulfil the above criteria, and later should apply by following steps
- Visit the salvation army https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/ Website
- Click On the Location tab at the right corner
- Search your location
- Choose the assistance available at your location
- fill the online application
- upload the document online, if you find difficulty in uploading the documents call 630-897-7265 for further assistance
- Once you have submitted all the document successfully, click on the submit button
Once your application is approved for assistance, salvation army will notify you for gift collection along with time date and place to receive the gift.
