From turkey and cranberry sauce to sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with fun, family, and feasts!
Some seniors travel far to celebrate Thanksgiving with loved ones, and others enjoy “Friendsgivings” with friends who feel like family. Some seniors prefer to spend Thanksgiving watching parades and football games, and others attend feasts held by local senior centers or senior living communities.
Thanksgiving may look different for every senior, but one theme stays the same: gratitude.
No matter where you are spending Thanksgiving, it is important to be mindful of making the seniors in your life feel special and included in the seasonal celebrations.
How to Celebrate Thanksgiving with Seniors
Here are 5 ways to make Thanksgiving special for the seniors in your life:
1. Involve Seniors in Meal Preparation
Cooking is important to many seniors. They may have traditions of preparing Thanksgiving feasts for their family over the years. Or, they might have their own Thanksgiving recipe that has been passed down through generations. Being able to share these traditions and meals can be very nostalgic and special for a senior.
In addition, seniors – like anyone – want to feel helpful, and assisting with the Thanksgiving dinner is a great way to contribute to the celebration.
Just be sure to follow some Thanksgiving safety precautions for seniors, such as being mindful of sharp objects, boiling water, hot surfaces, and open flames when cooking.
2. Ask Seniors to Decorate the Table
Embracing creativity is beneficial for everyone – seniors included. Decorating the Thanksgiving table allows a senior to use their imagination and artistic eye to create a beautiful tablescape for the family to enjoy. Doing so allows the senior to feel proud of their work and excited to be involved in the celebration.
Provide the senior with decorative gourds, fall leaves, festive table runners and tablecloths, and any other Thanksgiving-themed decoration you can find. You’ll love seeing what they create!
3. Share Stories and Memories
Seniors have many stories to share. Ask your senior loved one to share their favorite Thanksgiving memories or family traditions from their life. This is a great way to have meaningful conversations with your elders and honor the senior’s vast life experiences. Reminiscing about happy memories can bring comfort and joy to seniors. Plus, you might learn something new about your loved one’s life!
4. Do a Thanksgiving Craft
Thanksgiving crafts are a great activity for the whole family to come together, be creative, and show gratitude this holiday season.
One craft idea is to make a gratitude tree, where everyone writes down what they are thankful for on leaves cut from construction paper. Then, you can compile all the leaves in the shape of a tree to spread gratitude throughout the family. This is a great way to foster the feeling of gratitude at the Thanksgiving celebration.
Another idea is to draw the front of a turkey on a piece of paper and cut out different colored “feathers” to display around the turkey. Everyone can write what they are thankful for on each of their turkey’s feathers. You can even display them around the room to spread joy during the feast.
5. Use Technology
When used intentionally, technology can enhance a Thanksgiving celebration significantly. First, you can use Facetime or Skype to video chat with a relative who lives far away or could not make it. This is a great way for seniors to feel included if traveling isn’t an option for them.
Another way to use technology is by showing seniors old videos and pictures of Thanksgiving events of years past, such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1959, or “A Day of Thanksgiving” film from 1951.
Celebrating Thanksgiving at Senior Living Communities
Senior living communities often host special Thanksgiving events, from festive meals to seasonal activities like crafts and charity drives.
If your loved one resides in an assisted living or memory care community, inquire about the community’s holiday plans and how you can participate. These celebrations create a sense of belonging and joy for residents. Plus, residents love visits from family members!
Having Important Discussions this Thanksgiving
If you’re thinking about assisted living, independent living, or memory care for a family member, the holidays are a good chance to gather with loved ones and have these important conversations.
As an added bonus, the holiday season is a great time to tour senior living options and experience how communities make holidays magical for residents.
If you need some help deciding what kind of senior living option is best for you, or compiling the best communities in your area, let Florida Senior Consulting Advisors help.
With years of experience in the senior care field, our experts will help you find your best senior living option – and take care of all the coordination and moving plans, too! Best of all, our services are at no cost to you.
This holiday season, let us do the hard part so you can focus on spending quality time with your loved ones.
Call (800) 969-7176 or visit SeniorConsultingAdvisor.com to make your golden years your best ones yet.
