5 Holiday Tips, Including How to Celebrate While Your Loved One Receives Home Health Care Services

The holiday season is a time of year for family traditions and celebrations. However, for a loved one with a chronic illness or who is recovering from a surgery, the holidays may be difficult. Your loved one may not be able to participate because of their condition, and they may feel disappointed or lonely.

Family caregivers like you experience emotions of their own. You may feel uncertain about how to celebrate the holidays when a loved one is homebound, even temporarily. You may not feel like pulling out all the stops because this year just doesn’t feel the same. Or, you just might not be sure how to include a loved one who isn’t able to celebrate the way they used to.

Many patients and family caregivers have experienced these challenges and the difficult emotions that come with them. The good news is, you can still make the holidays special for both you and your loved one. Although this season of life may look a little different, there are many ways to make this season meaningful.

The following five suggestions offer ways to celebrate the holidays with your homebound loved one, including in the midst of their care from a home health nurse.

Honor Your Loved One’s Wishes for the Holidays

Before you guess what your loved one might like to do for the holidays, it is important to ask what would make the season special for them. You want to ensure that whatever you plan feels comfortable and important to them. This is one of the best ways to honor how they are feeling and what they are capable of.

Family caregivers sometimes struggle with wanting to keep the holidays as “normal” as possible, and in their desire to do so, forget that a loved one’s health is limited as they recover from a surgery or hospitalization. It’s important to know that this season may simply be different, and that’s okay. Practicing acceptance of this fact and asking what your loved one feels comfortable with is a gift in itself. It will make you feel connected to them, while allowing your loved one the dignity to decide what’s best for this phase of their life.

Consider Your Loved One’s Schedule, Including Home Health Care Services and Other Forms of Home Care

Once you understand your loved one’s wishes, you want to consider their treatment schedule and medical appointments. You don’t want to plan an activity or event that interferes with their healthcare plan. Your homebound loved one likely has a care plan that includes visits from caregivers or skilled healthcare professionals. You should work around your loved one’s care plan, so they can celebrate without having to skip vital services.

As an example, patients receiving home health care services have a schedule to adhere to, so they can receive their treatments and therapies from their home health nurse, physical therapists, and more. Before you schedule festivities, ensure that your plan doesn’t interfere with their needs while recovering from surgery or getting treatment for a new or worsening condition.

Organize a Holiday that Keeps Travel Simple

Now that you have some dates and times in mind for holiday festivities that include your loved one, consider whether they are able to leave their home. If your loved one is homebound because of their health, traveling may be out of the question this year. While you normally take the entire family with you to another relative’s house or have a celebration at your own home, it may be time to consider a new plan.

Determine whether your loved one is able to pay a short, local visit to your home for a holiday gathering. If so, consider these tips:

• Plan for your loved one to attend the celebration at a time when you’ve limited the number of guests. Your loved one may not want to feel overwhelmed by dozens of relatives. Depending on their condition, older adults may feel stressed by the excitement and noise of too many children, so you want to take your holiday environment into consideration when you make your plans for a visit.
• Plan a specific event with a start and end time, so that you and your loved one will know what to expect, and they won’t be asked to do more than they are able. You could invite them to visit while you’re planning to decorate the Christmas tree one afternoon, or have them arrive just in time for the holiday dinner and dessert.
• Ensure you’ve arranged transportation from a family caregiver who is already experienced with helping your loved one travel short distances. For safety reasons, transportation logistics are just as important as the special event you’re planning.
• If your loved one feels anxious to ensure they’ve purchased presents for family members, including children, offer to help them shop and wrap the gifts for them. This will take a load off of your loved one’s mind during a time of year where they may feel they have to follow their usual holiday to-do list, even if they’re not able.

Consider a Small Activity or Event at Your Loved One’s Home

If your loved one meets part of the qualifications for home health care services from a home health nurse, they likely are considered homebound and have difficulty leaving without help from another person or an assistive device. If they are unable to leave their home, you can always find ways to bring the holidays to them in simple, but meaningful ways.

These tips can make the holidays special for loved ones:

• Help them add some holiday cheer right in their home. Put up a no-fuss Christmas tree or other decorations.
• Arrange for a small present-opening or cookie-making afternoon where a few close family members get together at your loved one’s home.
• Many religious denominations live-stream or post their holiday services online. Instead of attending in person, stream the services alongside your loved one from their couch.
• Plan a simple holiday meal together that doesn’t include a lot of preparation. Your family could gather at your loved one’s home to cook and celebrate. You could even order takeout to make the meal even simpler, and order extra that your loved one can keep in their fridge for easy meals later.

What to Do If You Can’t Visit with Your Loved One In Person

Perhaps, this year, your loved one would feel more comfortable if no one visited the home, due to the treatment they are receiving or their condition. It is also important to remember that viruses like colds and the flu are more prevalent during the winter holidays. You don’t want to expose your loved one to infection while they recover from illness, surgery, or a fall.

Here are some suggestions for bringing the holiday season to your loved one without an in-person visit:

• Gather family members to decorate the exterior of your loved one’s house, so they can feel like their home is included in the festivities this season.
• Contact a local caroler group to perform outside their home, or enlist your family to do the caroling yourself!
• If your loved one is technologically inclined, you can schedule a full-family video call, so that you can visit with each other and briefly say hello.

Simple Gestures Matter for Loved Ones Receiving Home Health Care and Other Home Care Services

As a caregiver and family member, you want to ensure your loved one feels included in the holiday season. You also want to feel as close to them as possible during this time. Remember to begin by considering their wishes. Ensure that your plan doesn’t interfere with their care, including scheduled home health care services from their home health nurse. If you plan accordingly and use a little creativity to make the holidays special, the warmth and love of the holiday season will be there.

After all, the holidays are about acknowledging our closeness and love for our families, near and far. While this year may look a bit different, your loved one will appreciate the ways you are including them, and that’s what truly matters. The holiday season isn’t necessarily about what you do to celebrate, but the spirit behind the celebration.

Discover more tips you can use to improve your loved one’s quality of life, as well as helpful suggestions for family members.