During the holiday season, it's often a challenge to find the time for routine activities, such as scheduling a visit with a senior loved one. Meeting the challenge may require some planning and strategizing on the part of a caregiver to ensure both regular and holiday-related tasks receive sufficient attention.
Below are three time management tips to help caregivers make the most of the limited time around the holiday season.
Multitask
When a person's work or personal schedule becomes very busy, it's not uncommon for them to look for ways to multitask. When it comes to caregiving, the same principle can be just as effective. Those who regularly check in with a senior loved one are wise to look for things from their own task list that they can do at the same time.
When a caregiver visits their elderly loved one to help them pay their bills, they can bring their own bills along to complete the tasks alongside each other. If a person needs to check in on a loved one and they need to wrap some Christmas gifts, they may simply bring the wrapping supplies and the smaller gifts to the visit and complete the project while catching up with each other. When a caregiver is making dinner for their family, it's the ideal time to make a little extra. The next step is to freeze the extra portion or box up the meal and take it over right away for a senior to enjoy.
Have Dinner Together
Many families tend to order takeout for dinner during the holiday season. With so many other obligations requiring attention during the holidays, it's very difficult to fix a home-cooked meal every night.
If a caregiver normally checks in with a loved one during the evening, it's fairly easy to combine visiting a senior with a takeout meal for the caregiver's family. Many seniors struggle with loneliness, and the opportunity to have a family over for takeout is a welcome respite. Keep it simple by ordering pizza, submarine sandwiches, or Chinese takeout. Bring paper plates, plastic silverware, and plastic cups so there's little to no cleanup afterward. Some may even want to go further and turn the event into a family night by bringing along board games, a deck of cards, or a holiday movie.
Hire Help
Especially during the holiday season, there are times when it's simply too much for one person to meet an extensive list of obligations. Even though a caregiver genuinely wants to be available for the seniors in his/her life during the holidays, they may have extra obligations at work, and of course, they will also want to make the holidays memorable for their own immediate family.
If it's simply too difficult to meet every obligation that occurs during the holiday season, it may be time to enlist help. Senior Helpers of Naperville can provide the assistance that caregivers and their senior loved ones need during the holiday season. Senior Helpers offers a wide variety of helpful home care services for the elderly, including:
- Meal preparation
- Light housework
- Transportation to and from doctor appointments
- Companion care
- Medication reminders, and so much more
Senior Helpers of Naperville also serves the surrounding communities of Willowbrook, Oak Park, Berwyn, and Aurora. Contact us today to learn about the many in-home senior care services we offer during the holidays and throughout the year.