 | Shanna Parrish-Taylor is the Director of Nursing at Vintage Place Assisted Living. She is a RN with 9 years long term care experience, experience in critical care as well as hospice setting. Shanna is currently working on her master’s degree towards obtaining her ANRP. For more information on Shanna or Vintage Place please call 620-231-4554.
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Senior Living
2011-10-20 11:24:41
Caregivers: planning ahead for the holidays
A: The holiday season is busy and sometimes stressful, even under the easiest of circumstances. When caring for adults, the tasks and stresses mount even more quickly. However, rather than make the holiday season something you “survive,” there are things you can do to make the holidays joyful and memorable and reduce some of the stress associated with them. Here are some tips for making the holidays manageable for caregivers.
1. Schedule regular doctor appointments early in the month and try to fit in several in a day if possible. Use down time to accomplish associated tasks like buying any necessary medical supplies and picking up prescriptions.
2. Don’t wait until you are overwhelmed to ask for help. Be deliberate in planning to have others incorporated into the care and oversight of your parents, if even for a few hours or few moments. Call family members and ask if they can come over for the day so you can get away to accomplish tasks or just take in the season. Also, use little moments as they come. For example, take your mother-in-law to get her hair and nails done as a special gift and slip away for a cup of coffee while she is being pampered, or enjoy some pampering with her!
3. Enlist the help of adult care facilities offering drop in or day services when appropriate.
4. Get shopping done early. Shopping online also helps to reduce some of the stress of the season.
5. Delegate tasks. You do not have to do everything. As a caregiver, there are many tasks that cannot be delayed. Hygiene and health care tasks never take a break, even for the holidays so get help when and where you can. Have someone come in to do housework or laundry, hire or have another family member act as a home healthcare relief aid. Use a gift wrapping service to manage making the gifts beautiful.
6. Choose an easy menu. Have family help cook. Cook ahead. Do not be afraid to incorporate some store bought goodies.
While there are many jobs associated with care giving, remember not to treat your family members as a job to be accomplished. Invite them to participate in the preparations by helping decorate, sign cards, prepare foods and entertain guests. Find out what they would most like to do and try to accommodate them with quick shopping trips or by incorporating what makes it special for them too. Keeping them involved will keep their spirits high and make the holidays something very special.
