Celebrating the Holidays with a Loved One in a Long-Term Care Community With a little planning, you can bring holiday cheer to your loved one wherever they reside. The way you celebrate may change, but the sentiment behind it can remain. Meaningful Moments If your parent or another family member has recently relocated to a long-term care community, it’s important to acknowledge this will be his or her first holiday away from home.
Ask your loved one what he or she would like to do for the holidays, and give them the opportunity to be involved in decision making. Make sure to consult with facility staff before bringing your family member home for the day to be with other relatives. They can help determine if your loved one is doing well enough for a home visit and provide any safety guidelines related to COVID-19.
If your loved one is staying at the facility, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate.
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Fall 2021 Issue
Many facilities are open to the idea of holiday parties for residents, as long as they are planned in advance.
“ The family can request an area to have a private party and invite other family members to come to the celebration,” said Angela Hurst, recreation coordinator at Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill. “Or, they can simply bring their loved one some holiday food, or just bring family to visit, especially if they are from out of town.” Kelly Weaver, executive director at Masonic Village at Warminster, said her staff “love a good celebration” and will decorate a room so family members can come and celebrate the holidays or a birthday with their loved one. When you visit the facility, you can potentially decorate your loved one’s room with a small Christmas tree or Menorah, gifts, holiday cards and lights (check with facility staff in case some items are prohibited) or set up a device to play holiday music. Stay engaged with your loved one by sharing photo albums from holidays past and talking about old memories.
