Holidays are days that are supposed to make us feel happy, loved and secure with the people we love. They come every year to remind us of our blessings. It is a time where we can enjoy time with our family members or our friends. BUT are the holidays always so joyful and do they always make us feel happy and secure as they sound? Are the holidays always something that many people await?

The answer to these questions is actually no. Not everyone is happy during the holidays. This is referred to the holiday blues. Something that we need to take under consideration that not only the young people may feel depressed during the holidays but also the elderly.  When we say holiday depression we refer to temporary feelings of anxiety and depression during the holiday season. Seniors feel isolated. They might feel depressed because they remember past events in their lives and how they used to celebrate when they were younger.

What difficulties do Senior’s face?

 

Memories:   

Memories of the past can be very difficult. Seniors feel they are not as they used to be in the past and that they can not celebrate as they used to. They understand that their life has changed in many ways and thus they feel isolated and alone.

Mobility:

Limited mobility is another fact that may cause depression for many seniors. This happens because they can not move around as they used to. They can not do things that they used to do when they were younger such as go out for shopping or cooking , or preparing some things for their loved one. Sometimes also visiting a family member or a close friend might also be difficult. This is why many seniors might feel as if they are a burden to their loved ones.

Loneliness:  

Seniors might feel loneliness, and this might cause depression and isolation. Sometimes they might miss family members and their friends and how they used to celebrate in the past.

Home life:

Home life could also be difficult for the elderly because many people might not live in their home anymore and they also might not live with their family members. Some seniors also live-in nursing homes. Living in a nursing home might not also be something that makes them happy because they feel alone, and they do not feel the comfort and the warmth that they used to feel when they were with their family.

 

So what can we do in order to help the Elderly during the holidays?

1)If we have a family member who is elderly, we can include them to an event or a meal planning. Doing this will help them feel wanted. We can make them feel happy by doing things that they used to enjoy or by preparing a special meal that they used to like. Things like all the above will help them feel wanted and loved.

2)Look at family photos: we can enjoy the rest day by looking at past family photo albums and focusing on the positive events that have passed in life. So what we should do is stay positive by remembering all the joyful and fun things that took place in their lives.

3)We must keep our loved ones involved in many things that we do on that day and enjoy the moment of the holiday.

Regardless of what we do in order to help them feel happy and loved we must always remember that any time that we share is a precious gift.