7 Tips for Helping Seniors Cope with Depression During the Holidays

Original source and full article: https://myrelativescare.com/blog/holiday-depression-seniors-coping/

When seniors are dealing with depression during the holidays, family members, friends, and caregivers can reach out and help lift their spirits. You can help seniors cope with depression and feel loved and important during this magical season by using the following tips.

1. Take Time to Listen. Listening to seniors is one of the best way to help them cope with depression, since it gives them the chance to express their feelings. Whether they are dealing with new challenges or mourning a loss, an empathetic, honest conversation can help them process the emotions with which they’re dealing.
2. Make Seniors Feel Important During Everyday Holidays. Seniors often feel like they are a burden or useless if they’re no longer able to fully participate in or contribute to the holiday festivities like they once did, and this can contribute to depression. Take time to make seniors feel like they are important to your holiday festivities and traditions. Get them as involved as possible to make them feel like they are contributing.
3. Plan Special Holiday Events and Outings. Plan some special holiday events and outings that seniors can get involved in to reduce the feelings of loneliness and social isolation during the holidays. Head out to a Christmas play or a holiday service at a local church if your loved one is religious. Enjoy a night driving around to see holiday light displays around your town. Take them along with you to a special holiday party.
4. Get Them Involved in Holiday Decorating. Get seniors involved in holiday decorating, helping them add some festive holiday decorations to their room or around the home. Seniors often enjoy spending time reflecting on holiday memories while they go through cherished decorations, so take the time to ask about special holiday decorations and listen to their stories as you decorate together.
5. Find Time for Some Exercise Together. Find some time to exercise together, since exercise is one of the best ways to fight depression. While physical limitations may make this difficult, there are simple exercises that even those with limitations can do to get more activity in their life. With all the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s easy to let physical activity slide, but making sure seniors stay active can combat the seasonal depression they experience during the holidays.
6. Spend a Bit of Time in the Sun if Possible. Some time in the sunshine can be particularly helpful if seniors are dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Natural sunlight can reduce the symptoms of SAD and can boost vitamin D levels, which can also boost mood. Just make sure seniors bundle up well before heading outdoors, since they are more susceptible to hypothermia. Just 10-15 minutes of sunshine can make a huge difference.
7. Do Some Baking Together For Others. Doing something for others can be powerful, and giving your loved one a chance to feel useful can also help. Work on some baking together for others. Bake cookies to give to neighbors, family members, or people in your community who are in need. It’s fun for seniors to pull out old recipes and work with you in the kitchen, and it can help reduce some of the symptoms of holiday depression.