The holiday season is a time for friends and family—and that doesn’t change when a loved one is in a senior living facility. In fact, it may be even more important when the winter holidays come around. Senior living facilities can be lonely for some seniors, especially around the holidays. That’s why it’s important for senior care center owners to ensure that their residents feel included—and even have a bit of fun—during the holidays.
Here are a few things you can do at your care center to make sure all residents have a happy holiday:
- Deck the halls. No matter the holiday, decorations can really get people in the holiday spirit. In senior living facilities, residents often spend a lot of time in their own rooms, whether because of mobility issues or simply because that’s what they prefer. Try providing each resident with their own decorations to make their rooms feel a little more comfortable, or even have them help you make the decorations.
- Encourage visitors. Christmas and Hanukkah just aren’t the same without a little social interaction. That’s why it’s important to encourage residents to spend plenty of time with their loved ones. Try extending visiting hours or planning special days for residents’ visitors, like game nights. Many organizations also encourage their volunteers to visit senior care centers during the holidays, which can be a great way for your residents to connect with new people.
- Plan special events. The holidays can often spark a desire to be more social, and you can encourage that by planning special events around your senior living facility. Simple things like screening holiday movies or scheduling an arts and crafts hour can break up the monotony of everyday life, and can really make the holiday season special for your residents.
- Serve holiday meals. Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are known for delicious feasts. Even if you aren’t able to serve a full-blown holiday meal like that, you can still spread holiday cheer by serving up your residents’ favorite holiday treats. Not only will this help make the day more special, it’ll also make your residents happy. This can be particularly memorable for those residents who don’t have family to spend the holidays with.
- Provide quality care. While holiday decorations, events, and meals are sure to make your residents feel special, nothing is more important than a senior living facility that cares about its residents. That means providing top-of-the-line care. To make sure your facility is staying competitive with other care centers, it’s important to use a mystery shopping company, especially around the holidays. This can help you see what your competitors are doing—and ensure your facility provides quality services all year round.
For residents, the holiday season can be hard—but it doesn’t have to be. If your senior living facility provides its residents with a caring atmosphere, they will feel practically at home. Mystery Shopping Service can help your facility be the best it can be with on-site and telephone shopping services. To schedule your free shop, contact Mystery Shopping Service today.
