It’s going to be an unusual year for holiday gatherings. Many states are still asking people to stay home and avoid large gatherings. If you can’t travel this year, how does your family still celebrate the holidays?
#1 – Gatherings Via Video Chat
Get your parents used to video chat software like Zoom, Skype, Facetime, or Google Hangouts. People can set up their phones or laptops as needed and chat via computers. It’s safe and still gives you the face-to-face interactions that a phone call doesn’t offer.
#2 – Recipe Swaps
Have everyone in your family share a favorite recipe. On the holiday, make smaller portions of those recipes and have a meal that feels like everyone contributed a part. You could make your mom’s favorite roast chicken recipe, your brother’s scalloped potatoes, and your sister’s roasted cauliflower.
At dessert, everyone has the chocolate pumpkin cheesecake they made using your recipe. You’re not together, but you can chat about kitchen disasters and the fun you all had trying out everyone’s recipes.
#3 – Window Visits
If it’s not safe to visit your parents personally, stop by and chat through a window if you live close by. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing. You could drop off a casserole or something they love while you’re there.
Buy foil casserole dishes, bake the casserole for them. Put it in a box or cooler and leave it on their porch. Visit through the window for a bit before you leave.
#4 – Emailed Videos
If your parents have lousy internet service and can’t chat online, consider saving a video of your family on a DVD. Mail it to them. They can put the DVD in their player and watch your family dancing, singing, or doing whatever captures that moment.
#5 – Phone Calls
Phone calls are what your parents are used to, so they may find it best to talk on the phone. Using a service like Skype, you can easily set up a group call for all family members to participate in.
#6 – Group Text Chats
Your parents have a computer, but they don’t have a video camera enabled or available. You could sit down through Google Hangouts or Facebook Messenger and start a group chat. Everyone talks through written messages to each other. This is a helpful idea if you have a parent with hearing loss. There’s no struggling to hear what others are saying.
Do you take time once a year to visit your parents and see how they’re doing? If you can’t travel to see them this year, how do you know they’re doing okay? Senior care services are a huge help when it comes to checking in.
Have caregivers stop by and visit with your parents. If they need help, caregivers are there to help. If they’re fine, they still have one person stopping by to socialize. It limits the risk of picking up a virus and keeps your parents from feeling lonely. Call a senior care agency to make the arrangements for companionship visits.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Senior Care in South Orange, NJ or the surrounding areas please contact the caring staff at Perfect Touch Home Care Firm today! (908) 469-2701
About Mildrene Volcy
Mildrene Volcy is the Owner at Perfect Touch Home Care Firm in Elizabeth, NJ. In 2013, Perfect Touch Home Care Firm was established to serve our communities and provide life-enhancing home care services to those who need care and companionship. Our home health care agency makes the patient the center of our care practice. We make it easy for persons who wish to stay at home in their preferred habitat to arrange available services in an easy, dependable, and respectful way. Our team of Certified Licensed Home Health Aides meets and follows the highest standards of integrity, compassion, and dedication to caring for those in need. We even offer professional staffing services for personal and agency needs. Following industry standards, our home health aides and nursing staff can be counted on for various service requirements.
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