Senior Care Activities: Days of Thankfulness
November 11, 2015
Senior Care in Santa Cruz CA
Thanksgiving is a time when families come together to celebrate all of the wonderful things that they have in life and to treasure special time with one another that they might not get throughout
the rest of the year. If you are on a senior care journey with your aging loved ones, it is also a beautiful time to focus your attention on showing how thankful you are for them and for the opportunity that you have to be a major part of their ongoing care and support so that they can live the quality of life that they want and deserve.
Expressing your thankfulness does not have to be something that you limit to only one day of the year. There are many ways that you can spend quality time with your parents and their senior health care services provider, your children, and your partner exploring and expressing your thankfulness in the days leading up to the main holiday. With all of the busyness and chaos that often happens on Thanksgiving itself, setting this time aside in the days before the holiday ensures that you have plenty of opportunity to discuss everything for which you are thankful and do activities that express this thankfulness in meaningful and memorable ways.
Try some of these ideas to implement a Days of Thankfulness celebration with your aging loved ones this holiday season:
• Make crafts. Doing crafts together is always a fantastic way to stimulate your parents' minds and encourage creativity, expression, and imagination. They are also a fun way to get the entire family involved in doing something together, with your young children doing simplified versions of the crafts while adults and older children do more advanced versions. Plan several Thanksgiving-themed crafts to do together, and take the time that you are making those crafts as an opportunity to discuss the meaning of Thanksgiving and what all of the people involved in the craft are thankful for. Look for crafts that you can all contribute to and then save them so that you can look back on them later and reminisce.
• Open up. Have an honest conversation with your parents about how thankful you are that they are in your life and that you can be there for them throughout their aging years. Tell them how much they mean to you, and what it has meant to you to be a part of their care. While it is not always easy to start emotional conversations like this, once you get going you will likely find that you can express how you feel and that your parents will respond, helping to further strengthen your relationship.
• Write letters. Christmas is a popular time to send family newsletters, but there is no reason that you have to wait until December to reach out to your loved ones. Send letters to your friends, family members, neighbors, your parents' senior health care services provider, and even the doctors and nurses who are a part of your parents' care and thank them for all that they do for you and for your aging parents. This is a great way to give yourself an emotional boost while also helping them to see the value that they give on a daily basis.
If you or an aging loved one are looking for senior care services in Santa Cruz, CA, please call Familiar Surroundings Home Care. Call today!
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