Learning how to support older adults with holiday blues can help your loved one. Holiday depression in older adults is common, but you can help lift a family member’s mood with quality time and fun activities.
What Are the Holiday Blues?
Understanding holiday depression in seniors is the first step to offering compassion, patience, and support. The holiday blues cause feelings such as sadness, anxiety, or depression during the holiday season. Your older adult loved one may be experiencing this if you notice the following signs:
Mental and Emotional Symptoms
Mental and emotional symptoms of older adults with holiday blues are:
- Increased loneliness or sadness: Your loved one may express more feelings of loneliness or sadness during the holiday season.
- Feelings of guilt or worthlessness: Individuals often express feelings of guilt or worthlessness when they have the holiday blues.
- Mood changes: Feelings such as sadness and depression can cause mood changes and irritability.
- Social withdrawal: The holiday blues may cause your loved one to withdraw from friends and family, preferring to isolate and avoid social gatherings.
- Loss of interest in enjoyable activities: An individual with the holiday blues may lose interest in activities they previously enjoyed.
- Increased feelings of grief: Grief is a normal part of life, but your loved one may experience more sadness than usual during the holiday season. They may talk more about missing friends or family members who have passed away.
- Difficulty concentrating: Your older family member may have difficulty concentrating if they have the holiday blues.
Physical Symptoms
You can also look for the following physical symptoms if you believe your loved one has the holiday blues:
- Fatigue: Low energy is a common sign of the holiday blues, so your older adult family member may seem more lethargic than usual.
- Aches and discomfort: The holiday blues can also cause physical discomfort, such as headaches or body aches with no medical cause.
- Sleep pattern changes: The holiday blues can make it harder for people to fall asleep or stay asleep, or it can cause them to sleep more than usual.
- Appetite changes: An individual may lose their appetite or eat more than usual when they feel depressed due to the holiday blues.
Why Do Older People Often Experience the Holiday Blues?
The following factors can cause older adults to experience the holiday blues:
- Stress regarding finances or family dynamics
- Loneliness
- Missing loved ones who have passed away
- Sentimental memories and missing previous years
- Unmet expectations about the holidays or grief that they are different from past years
- Seasonal depression from low sunlight exposure
How to Help Older Adults With Holiday Blues
Enhancing the holidays for older people can help lift their mood and decrease depression symptoms. You can help your older loved one cope with the holiday blues in the following ways:
Plan Fun Holiday Activities
Quality time with loved ones can help combat sadness, and festive activities can help older adults experience the joy of the season. Bring your loved one some cheer with fun activities such as:
- Holiday decorating: Help your loved one decorate their home for the holidays, or invite them to help you decorate yours. Whether they help you hang Christmas tree ornaments or set up a manger scene in the yard, you can use this time to create new memories together.
- Crafting: If your older loved one has limited mobility, plan some fun crafts they can do while sitting down.
- Drive-through light displays: Drive-through light displays and decorated neighborhoods are an excellent option if your family member has limited mobility. Enjoy some hot chocolate and take a relaxing drive together.
- Holiday craft fairs: Visiting a holiday craft fair is a fantastic activity if your loved one enjoys shopping. They can finish their Christmas shopping or simply enjoy the holiday atmosphere.
- Baking: Baking holiday treats can help your loved one enjoy old and new family traditions. Baking familiar treats can feel nostalgic for them, or they may prefer to try some new recipes. You can also help them decorate gingerbread houses to make the activity extra enjoyable.
- Talking about cherished memories: Talking about past holiday traditions and memories can help older adults feel more connected to their younger selves and loved ones they have lost. Share holiday memories over tea or hot chocolate to create some joy.
- Holiday shows: Holiday shows, such as ballets, concerts, and plays, are excellent activities for older adults. Consider attending a professional performance of The Nutcracker or a local school play.
Include Them in Your Holiday Planning
If you lack the time to engage in extra activities, include your loved one in your holiday plans. Invite them to go gift shopping, plan a holiday meal, or gather groceries with you. You can also ask them to sit with you while you wrap gifts or invite them to watch holiday movies with their grandchildren. Simple activities can mean a lot to older adults, helping them feel more connected and included.
Encourage Physical Activity
Movement and exercise are excellent ways to maintain physical and mental health. Consider the following ways you can help your loved one engage in more movement activities:
- Walking: Walking with your family member around the neighborhood encourages them to move more, and it’s a great chance to spend quality time with them.
- Group fitness classes: Gentle fitness classes, such as tai-chi and yoga, help older adults maintain strength and mobility while spending time with others.
Help Them Give Back to the Community
Having a sense of purpose and feeling needed can significantly support an older adult’s mental health. Consider engaging your loved one in the following volunteer opportunities:
- Toy shopping: Various holiday programs, such as The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, donate toys to children in need. Help your loved one choose a child’s tag and shop for the items on the list to create a meaningful holiday experience.
- Religious programs: Help your loved one get involved in a local church or spiritual center. They can volunteer to help set up community meals, lead discussion groups, or plan a holiday party.
- Knitting: If your loved one enjoys knitting, they can knit items such as hats, scarves, and blankets for individuals in need. Some programs and facilities accept donations for cancer patients, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) babies, and unhoused individuals.
Play Cheerful Holiday Music
Creating a joyful atmosphere can help lift a person’s spirit. Play cheerful holiday music around your loved one, or invite them to sing holiday carols with you.
How to Know When It’s More Than Just the Holiday Blues
If your family member’s holiday depression symptoms persist after the holidays, you should seek professional care or counseling for them. Some older adults experience post-holiday blues, but symptoms that persist longer than a couple of weeks typically indicate that your loved one may need help for depression. A mental health professional can provide support.
How Can Relevar Home Care Support Your Loved One?
Older adults require extra care as they age, and quality time can be an incredible support during the holidays. Spreading festive cheer and making cherished memories with your loved one is easier when their basic needs are taken care of. Relevar Home Care provides compassionate in-home care for older adults, giving you more time to enjoy with them.
As a private duty home care agency, we provide high-quality, personalized care to help older adults with daily tasks, errands, and self-care routines. We take care of your loved one so you can focus on what matters most — spending quality time with them. Call us at (586) 493-7677 or contact us online to learn more about how we can help your loved one receive the care they need while maintaining safe independence.
