A Holiday Gathering for Family Caregivers

December 8th, 2008

I was planning to write a post about family caregivers, our aging parents and/or relatives, and the many issues we might face during the hectic holiday season. In organizing my own thoughts and researching this topic, I found there are many excellent resources already available on the internet about this very subject. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I’ll point you to the ones I believe are most helpful.

So grab a cup of hot chocolate (or a hot toddy), sit back and browse through this gathering of sites:

  • Valarie D’Acquisto’s Pleasant Days for Elders blog has an article entitled “Wishing You and Your Elder a Pleasant Christmas Season” that reminds us our Golden Oldies run colder than most people and gives practical advice on how to insure they are warm and toasty during these winter months. She also includes a list of possible gift ideas for seniors at the holidays that can be referred to all year long.
  • Caregiving.com founder, Denise Brown, offers an entire Holiday Survival Guide, which includes eight individual holiday articles on a wide-range of topics as well as an audio recording.

If you prefer to listen rather than read, you can load these five podcasts onto your iPod or mp3 player and listen while you’re on the go — recordings from the weekly “Ask Mr. Eldercare Show” at BlogTalkRadio.com. Martin Sabel, aka Mr. Eldercare, is the host who covers these holiday topics with his guests:

Home For The Holidays: Getting Ready To Visit Mom and Dad

What To Look For When Visiting Your Aging Parents Over The Holidays

Ask Mr. Eldercare About Aging Parents and The Holidays

Manage Holiday Caregiving Stress Before It Manages You

Before You Return Home for the Holidays, Do This

It is my hope that after reading or listening to these words of wisdom, you, your families and your aging loved ones will have a much less stressful and a far happier holiday season!

I like learning from you, too. What have you learned from your caregiving experience during the holidays?

Or please share other articles or resources about this topic in the comment section below. Thanks!

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Comments

  1. December 8th, 2008 | 6:29 am

    [...] Linda Abbit of Tender Loving Eldercare has a treasure trove of holiday advice on how we can get through the holidays successfully as caregivers.How exactly do you deal with the hectic, sometimes difficult holidays while you’re trying to care give?There is plenty of advice here which we can actually use such as how to get over the guilt of not being able to do it all and how to interact with Alzheimer’s relatives.Let’s not forget the practical tips too. Linda has found a good article on how to keep our aging parents warm, because as we all know, older people tend to get colder than the rest of us.Read A Holiday Gathering for Family Caregivers [...]

  2. Matt
    January 7th, 2009 | 2:10 pm

    This is a great entry dealing with some important issues. I think this can assist others not knowing how to deal with such sensitive issues. I spent nearly four years working in an Alzheimer’s/Long Term Care facility in Utah and I know the difficulties and pains associated caring for a loved one. I personally got to know some great people I helped care for and I also became close with some of their families. I also assisted with care planners. I’ve seen a lot of resources that help like this one. I know of one in particular that seems to be quite helpful: http://www.thecaringspace.com Please pass this link along to anyone you feel could benefit from it.

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