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How to feel more connected this Festive Season

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The festive season for many, is the most wonderful time of the year and holds something special for each and every one of us. It’s a feeling of joy and warmth, at times peppered with nostalgia and even sadness when those jingle bells start jingling and the festive lights start twinkling. Whether this is the first Christmas with Home Care Assistance, or you have been enjoying the extra help for a while, our team of Care Workers are reliable and dedicated to providing you with the support you need in preparation for the festive season.

If you really think about it, the festive season holds all time together – past and present – precious time spent or remembered, and cherished memories made with friends and loved ones. However, as we get older, big social gatherings and family festivities can become a little overwhelming and even stressful at times – for some it can also be a lonelier time of year. The good news is, that it doesn’t have to be. Home Care Assistance Care Workers provide companionship and support from helping to prepare your garden for visitors, to helping with Christmas shopping, to simply making you a cup of tea and sitting down and enjoying it with you.

The holidays can be fun for older adults even if they have physical or cognitive limitations. It’s all about spending time together, feeling included and enjoying the companionship of others. It is a well-known fact that the older we get, the more introverted we become 1 , which makes it all the more important to stay connected to our local community, neighbours and Carers as we age, with research showing that staying social 2 has numerous mental and physical health benefits. A study by the University College London 3 has shown that 12 per cent of over 60s who regularly visit friends, are less likely to develop dementia than those who only saw one or two friends every few months. Furthermore, The National Institute on Aging says that research has linked social isolation and loneliness to an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease and more.

That said, there are endless activities that can be enjoyed together with family or friends to make the festive season special and meaningful, including: wreath making, baking Christmas cookies with the grandchildren, decorating and filling Christmas stockings, inviting friends over for a gift-wrapping party or a ‘Secret Santa’, bingo night, putting decorations up in the home, writing Christmas cards – all while listening to some golden oldies or tunes from your favourite era.

Other activities might include a stroll around your local shopping centre to admire the decorations, or your local neighbourhood to admire the Christmas lights, taking a walk through your local park, watching a feel-good movie or taking in a musical or play.

At Home Care Assistance, our dedicated team of Care Workers can help ease the overwhelming sensations and expectations that the festive season can sometimes bring. Whether it’s support with chores around the house, the garden, with shopping, helping to write and post Christmas cards, wrap presents, and having a someone to share this with, is what the festive season is all about.

References

1https://introvertdear.com/news/you-are-becoming-more-introverted-with-age/

2https://www.healthline.com/health-news/staying-social-as-a-senior

3https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002862#abstract2

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    As a leading age care provider, Home Care Assistance offers tailored in-home care services for older Australians, enabling them to live happier and healthier lives in the comfort of their own homes. 

    We offer private and government subsidised Care Packages and have office locations that are a registered NDIS provider. Our Care Workers undergo extensive training in order to deliver unmatched in-home aged care services where people can continue ageing in place. We are proud ambassadors of the My Aged Care government funded aged care program, enabling Australians to successfully navigate the process and gain approval for in-home care support packages. Home Care Assistance offers hourly care, specialised care, Alzheimer’s and Dementia care, hospital to home care, and 24 hour in home care.

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