StartupHomeCare Blog

5 Tips to Help Reduce Holiday Stress For You and Your Loved One

by Editor

Posted in Senior Care | No Comments

The holidays are times of fun, excitement, family gatherings and more. While they are exciting and fun, they also bring around a lot of stress for you as the caregiver and your aging loved one. Knowing what steps to take to keep both of you in good spirits is important to helping you all have a successful and enjoyable holiday season. Here you’ll find five tips to help you reduce stress around the holiday season and ensure you all have a wonderful time together.

Loved Ones Who’ve Passed On

Holiday seasons can be very difficult when you’re celebrating without a loved one. Whether it’s the first holiday season since the loss or the tenth, the emotions can still be very raw and hard to deal with. Help your senior family member this holiday by honoring those who’ve gone on. Continue doing a cherished tradition in the loved one’s name or light a candle in honor of them. You can also start up a new tradition in their honor that will be carried on for generations to come. This can help your loved on to get through the season while still dealing with their loss.

Avoid Burnout

While you may be the primary caregiver, you must avoid burning yourself out during the holiday season. Caring for a loved one can be stressful enough on its own, but adding in the holiday festivities can take it to a whole other level of stress. Be sure that you take time for yourself, get assistance when you can, and make sure you get refreshed to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones.

Avoid Isolation

You may have it in your mind that the holidays mean fun and exciting gatherings. Your loved one may have difficulties seeing that. When they are dealing with the loss of a loved one or they are not close to their families as they once were, they can tend to isolate themselves during this time period. Be sure that you and your loved one stay socially active during this season to help avoid being lonely.

Know the Limits

While you want to make sure that your loved ones have fun and stay active, you also need to know the limits they can handle and your own limits. How many people at a time can your loved one handle or do they get overwhelmed easy? What type of gatherings tends to cause stress for them instead of enjoyment? All of these things need to be kept in mind so that you both have a great time gathering with friends and family.

Keep Some Routine

If your loved one is dealing with Alzheimer’s or dementia, it is especially important to try to keep as normal a routine as possible. You can still have a fun holiday season while keeping them calm and relaxed. Make sure to keep some semblance of their normal routine so that they can enjoy the festivities without becoming too overwhelmed.

Conclusion

You and your loved one can utilize these five tips to help you remove the stress from the holiday season. Remember to stay active but also know the limits of both your loved one and yourself this season.

 

Find out more about our unique & innovative model

Success in the senior care industry doesn’t need to cost you a third of your profits.

Get Started

Have a question about StartupHomeCare and prefer to speak to an advisor directly?

phone icon800-672-1823