Do it Safer and Easier this Year!
Gathering Together as a Family
The family home is often the gathering place for the holidays. However, when a senior is the host it makes sense to take a few steps to make for safe and easy family holidays at home.
With the adult children grown they have less time to help decorate and prepare the house for the holidays. Hosting can also be a bit more exhausting for a senior.
Here’s some tips for safe and easy family holidays at home
- Keep decorations in easy to reach spots. It’s not good to put things up in the attic, the basement or even a high shelf in the closet. Avoid dragging things upstairs or downstairs.
- Rotate decorations each year. Pick a theme and then use only the ones that work within that theme. Less to take out and less to put away.
- Solar lights instead of electric ones. It helps save the planet and lowers the electric bill. There are many options – spotlights, strings, or freestanding ones. Also, skip or get help to hang lights in high and hard to reach areas.
- Food is an integral part of any celebration, so make just your favorite dishes and let the family supply the rest or better yet, get the meal catered.
- Keep dishes, silverware, and linens down to a minimum or recruit the younger family members to wash and dry them (with supervision to keep down breakage).
- Hire someone to clean the house instead of doing it yourself. If you prefer to do it yourself, spread the work out slowly over a few weeks. It doesn’t have to be spotless.
- Remember the reason why the family is there – to spend time together and bond, not to measure your entertaining or cleaning skills.
- Keep decorations in easy to reach spots. It’s not good to put things up in the attic, the basement or even a high shelf in the closet. Avoid dragging things upstairs or downstairs.
- Rotate decorations each year. Pick a theme and then use only the ones that work within that theme. Less to take out and less to put away.
- Solar lights instead of electric ones. It helps save the planet and lowers the electric bill. There are many options – spotlights, strings, or freestanding ones. Also, skip or get help to hang lights in high and hard to reach areas.
- Food is an integral part of any celebration, so make just your favorite dishes and let the family supply the rest or better yet, get the meal catered.
- Keep dishes, silverware, and linens down to a minimum or recruit the younger family members to wash and dry them (with supervision to keep down breakage).
- Hire someone to clean the house instead of doing it yourself. If you prefer to do it yourself, spread the work out slowly over a few weeks. It doesn’t have to be spotless.
- Remember the reason why the family is there – to spend time together and bond, not to measure your entertaining or cleaning skills.
From the team at SARA
“We receive many calls during and after every holiday. It is such a busy period for many people with all the festivities going on.
Some of our clients increase their hours for a loved one because they have other obligations or activities to do, including doctors’ visits, office parties, children’s plays, vacations, concerts, and other events.
At SARA, we are happy to accommodate the needs of our clients whenever needed. We can provide 24/7/365 home care.
Our home health aides often help the senior in their care with cleaning, baking, decorating, shopping, medical appointments, and accompany them to parties and other events. Recently, one of our aides went to a wedding with their client, making it easier for everyone to have a good time.
The holidays are also an excellent time to observe a loved one’s health condition to see if they could benefit from help at home.
Having all the adult children there makes it easier for everyone to see a full picture of how Mom or Dad are doing.
How SARA can help seniors keep safe in their home
SARA caregivers provide both short and long-term care for you or a loved one. Supervised by SARA’s registered nurses, they follow the doctor’s Plan of Care in the home, including assisting with light exercise, making healthy meals, provide light housekeeping and help create a less stressful, relaxing environment in the home. SARA’s registered nurses also provide in-home visits for our clients. At SARA, we follow all Department of Health safety protocols.
We hold our SARAs to a higher quality standard than many other agencies. We want our clients to have the elite home care services that they expect and hope to exceed their expectations.
At SARA, we tailor every element of care to individual needs. Our dedicated team provides meticulous attention to details and flexibility based on the client’s situation. The SARA approach is intelligent, gracious and consistent providing invaluable assistance to our clients.”
By following the tips mentioned in this article, you can enjoy safe and easy family holidays at home.