A Faith Deepened: Mary Frances Horton’s Journey at Santa Marta
Learn how Mary Frances Horton’s faith deepened at Santa Marta through community life, spiritual service, and bringing Communion to residents who live in Health Care.
Along with family birthdays, holidays for seniors are perhaps their most anticipated times of year. Being with you and your children, being included in family meals and traditions — simply being there — can mean so much to a senior’s emotional well-being. But planning holiday celebrations for seniors is a bit more complicated in 2020. They’re in the highest risk group for negative outcomes from coronavirus infection. And the tough questions remain. Will you host your family’s traditional holiday get-together this season? Will you travel and attend one hosted by a sibling? How can you nurture warm connections, opportunities to share favorite memories, and nourish a sense of purpose and belonging while celebrating the holidays with seniors long-distance?
The position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on hosting or attending get-togethers is that celebrating the holidays virtually with seniors and family members poses low risk for the spread of COVID-19. The same is true for limiting your in-person celebration to the members of your immediate household. But larger in-person family gatherings pose varying levels of risk. Ultimately, the decision to invite people into your home or to travel to the home of another family member for a large, holiday gathering is one only you can make. But if you do decide to be part of a larger family gathering, the CDC does offer guidelines. Here’s a brief summary:
Location and setting.
Consider the number and rate of COVID-19 cases in your community and the community where you plan to celebrate. Also keep in mind where the attendees are traveling from. You can find this information here. And remember, gathering indoors generally poses more risk than outdoors. And indoor gatherings with poor ventilation pose more risk than those with good ventilation, such as open windows or doors.
Duration and number of people.
Gatherings that last longer pose more risk, and those with more people pose more risk than gatherings with fewer people.
Behaviors before, during and after the gathering.
Attendees who haven’t followed social distancing, mask wearing, hand washing, and other prevention behaviors pose more risk to the group. Avoiding contact with people outside of your immediate household for 14 days before the gathering is much safer. And gatherings with more preventive measures in place — such as spaced seating, better ventilation, mask wearing, etc., pose less risk. If you think you may have been exposed during your celebration, take extra precautions for 14 days after the event to protect others. Stay home. Avoid high-risk individuals and consider getting tested.
Additional precautions for in-person holiday celebrations with seniors.
Enjoying the holidays when everyone can’t be together.
Many of us will ultimately decide to stay home this year, enjoying the company of our immediate family, and doing what we can to slow the spread of COVID-19. But this doesn’t mean we can’t be imaginative in connecting with loved ones living elsewhere — especially seniors. Your efforts in reaching out to include older loved ones in creative holiday activities may well be the hit of the season. They’ll appreciate it and you’ll feel pretty good yourself.
Get creative with holiday cards. Try something completely different this year. Include handwritten notes from every family member with your card. Or you yourself might write a brief letter expressing your heartfelt sentiments of love and gratitude. If you have young children at home, you might help them send a series of handmade cards over a few days’ time. Encourage friends and family to do the same. You might even set a date for a virtual visit with your parents to open this mail together.
Have a family drive-by car parade. If your parents live close by, your family and the families of your local siblings might choose an evening to gather outside their residence, sing carols outside, and leave care packages of baked goods or small gifts.
Make an early gift of a tablet or mobile phone. If your older relatives don’t already own a digital device, giving them one now could open up the season to fun, connection and shared time together. Think of the possibilities:
Dining “together” on the holiday itself.
You may not be under the same roof, but you can still enjoy dinner conversation and feel that you’re all part of one another’s holiday. Sharing recipes ahead of time will let your family enjoy some of the same dishes in their respective homes. Use a video chat platform to connect each household and let everyone see and hear the dining experience. Connect your laptop to the TV for a larger view of everyone.
Invent a new tradition.
Every holiday season is filled with activity and anticipation, but it’s vitally important not to lose sight of what’s truly important — your time, and being present for your loved ones, especially this year. Whether you’re spending the holiday season with your friends and family or celebrating many miles apart, feeling truly connected is challenging but possible. Create special moments with your family and aging parents to “be” together while keeping them safe. You just might invent a new tradition in the process.
Christmas at a Catholic senior living community.
At Santa Marta, we do everything possible to make Christmas for seniors, and all celebrated holidays, a special, memorable occasion. The warmth and fellowship of our Catholic community is known throughout Olathe, Kansas, and beyond, especially during the holidays. For more ideas on keeping the season safe and meaningful for your older loved ones, we invite you to contact us through our website.
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