Arrow Senior Living Prepares for Possible Holiday Blues

For many the holiday season is a joyful, happy time built around togetherness, family, and friends, but for some it can be very stressful and filled with overwhelming expectations, depression, and anxiety. The holiday season can be a reminder of those who are not with us anymore, financial limitations, sadness from being separated from loved ones, and the loss of treasured traditions. Celebrating this time of year doesn’t have to be a sad or overwhelming time. It can be a peaceful time of reminiscing, volunteering, spending time with friends, and creating new traditions!

Some common causes of depression could be loneliness, financial burdens, and missing loved ones. Signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress we should monitor for during the holiday season are residents that are tearful, sad, easily agitated, or have a lack of interest in socialization.

We can help eliminate the holiday blues for our residents by continuing our normal daily routine, helping make new traditions, providing love and special moments throughout the holiday season, and spending time talking to the residents about their special moments and traditions they had. We could have an event, followed by a discussion with the residents about traditions they did in their past and then incorporate those traditions within our community.

Loneliness is one of the most common causes of depression in the elderly during the holiday season. We can take time to listen and talk, decorate with the residents, and try to make new traditions, create events and activities, and be a smiling face every day for them to look forward to.

The holiday season means different things to each of us. The holidays are about family, friends, food, and tradition. For many, the smells, taste, and decorations bring memories flooding back. We at Arrow Senior Living hope some of these ideas will be helpful as the holidays approach.