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Supporting Seniors during the Holiday Season

Why Seniors feel lonely during the holidays and how we can help.

If you’re looking for the unbiased and untarnished truth, ask a young child.

Ask any child in a healthy home environment his favorite time of year, and chances are they’ll say November, December or January. These are the months filled with holiday fun, family gatherings, and the excitement of school breaks. The holiday season often brings feelings of love, connection and adventure. But for seniors, the experience can be vastly different.  

Seniors and Holidays: The Reality

While the holiday season symbolizes love, connection, and tradition, many aging loved one may experience feelings of sadness, loneliness, or isolation. Here are a few common reasons:

  • ● Empty Nest Syndrome: Children have grown up and often moved away, leaving seniors without the same lively holiday atmosphere
  • ● Loss of Familiarity: If living away from home, and especially while residing in a senior living facility, the familiar signs and smells of the holidays are not present.
  • ● Grief: If a loved one has recently passed on, remembering the holidays of the past can trigger a lot of sadness and other negative emotions.
  • ● Quiet Celebrations: In contrast to the years when they were the ones actively preparing for the holiday celebrations, this time may be unusually quiet with guests and frequent callers busier with their own holiday prep.

Whatever your loved one’s personal situation is, it is likely that they too are dealing with increased sadness and/or social isolation during the holiday season.

Caregiver and Holiday Challenges

Caregivers often face their own holiday hurdles. Between shopping for gifts, preparing meals, and coordinating logistics, the season can be exciting—but also overwhelming.

Whether hosting, traveling, or both, it’s easy to unintentionally reduce phone calls and visits to elderly family members or neighbors amid the holiday rush. Recognizing this helps caregivers find ways to ensure their aging loved ones feel supported and included.

Increasing Joy for Aging Loved Ones: Dos and Don’ts

Here are some practical – and hopefully doable – tips to help lessen the loneliness experienced by aging loved ones.

  • Do Communicate openly and honestly, telling them how busy you are with holiday preparation, but also sharing when you have a few minutes of quiet time.
  • ➜ Try to carve out some time in your day when you can really speak to them on the phone, via video call, or live visit.
    ➜ When you do have the time slot, listen carefully to what they are saying so you can actively validate how they are feeling and what they do or don’t wish to be part of during this season.

  • Do Accommodate their unique needs.
  • ➜ If you invite an aging loved one to your holiday meal or event, make sure to inquire about what they need to feel comfortable and safe while there.
  • ➜Perhaps transportation is an issue, and maybe the crowd has to be lessened at the time the senior will participate.
  • ➜Whatever the case, genuinely ask for their requirements and do your best to make them feel comfortable and safe with the arrangements and itinerary.

  • Do Involve them in the preparation.
  • ➜Perhaps they would like to share a recipe they used to make or help plan an activity they enjoy.
  • ➜In whatever small way they can, allow them to feel a part of the prep.
  • Don’t Decide what they do or don’t want, or what activities they will or will not enjoy.
  • ➜ Let them choose what they feel is best.
  • ➜ Even if you think looking at old photo albums is a wonderful activity for the entire family, an elderly loved one may not feel up to reliving the memories just yet, or in public.

  • Don’t Expect happiness, or any other positive emotions.
  • ➜ Regardless of the lengths you go to in order to make your loved one comfortable and happy, you cannot control their feelings.
  • ➜ Don’t be disappointed if he or she is stressed or looks uncomfortable at the time of the event.

The holiday magic looks different for everyone. By releasing expectations of how the holidays “should” look and embracing the present, you and your loved ones can create meaningful memories this year.

Remember that being a caregiver is a huge responsibility, and the reward is in the loving, brave efforts you expend each day anew, regardless of the outcome.


Here’s to a happy and healthy holiday season for all!