Tips To Keep Your Loved Ones Aging In Place Healthy This Holiday Season

T’is the season for extended visits to our loved ones who are aging in place. If you’re a caregiver for someone there are steps you can take to make sure these visits are positive and do not take an unnecessary toll on your loved one. The holidays can be a stressful and tiring time for anyone who is not used to having a house full of company and therefore there are some steps to take to keep from getting overwhelmed and becoming ill.

The first thing that should be noted though, is that welcoming company into ones home can be a joyous thing to do around the holidays or at any time of the year. Spending quality time with family or friends can have an oversized impact on the mental and physical health of your loved one. The first thing you can do to keep your loved one healthy is to encourage her/him to invite company to enjoy the season with them. This will provide a spark of joy for weeks or even months to come and with the harsh winter ahead, this can be an important memory to carry her/him through the cold and dreary mid-winter blues.

Once you have gotten your loved one to agree to invite company over you will want to begin preparing her/him to have a healthy visit that may leave them tired, but not exhausted and worn out for days to come. You will want these visits to be rejuvenating so it is important to keep your loved one happy and healthy the whole time through.

1.) Make sure she/he is drinking enough water. Hydration is the key to having a healthy holiday season. When company visits there are more likely drinks around that are not as hydrating, like alcohol or sodas and these can be good from a taste standpoint they are not particularly good at encouraging hydration. So, make sure your loved one has access to water to stay hydrated at all times. This will keep her/his energy up during the whole visit and beyond.

2.) Don’t miss medication. As the caregiver it is important that you remain vigilant about keeping your loved one on her/his medication schedule. If medication is missed it can be detrimental to their overall health.

3.) Watch for dietary restrictions. During the holidays there are lots of different foods around that most people don’t eat throughout the year but save for a special occasion. These foods can be high in fat and low in nutritional value. It is important that while your loved one may want to indulge that they are eating according to any dietary restrictions that they may be under.

4.) Get enough rest. Visits from family and friends can be invigorating but they can also be exhausting. Especially if the visit is an overnight stay, you will want to make sure that company doesn’t keep your loved one up chatting until all hours of the night. Getting a good night sleep is one of the best things they can do to stay alert and ready for the next day and beyond.

Visiting with family and friends can be such a wonderful thing for anyone who is aging in place. It can be reinvigorating and the feelings and memories made can last well into the winter months when there isn’t as much visiting to be had. As the caregiver, you can facilitate these visits while also making sure that your loved one is well cared for along the way.