Holidays are an important time of the year for families to come together. It can be challenging to accomplish this goal if there are elderly or sick parents in nursing homes or homebound who need medical assistance.

Rest assured there are ways to arrange the holiday season with your eldery loved one with Specialized Nursing Services’ professional caregivers. Our goal is to provide help in a few key ways so the holidays are a joyous, warm, family oriented occasion.

Below are a few ways that you can prepare for the holidays with your elderly parents.

Transportation Logistics

Our sick and elderly parents at home often need support throughout the day with medical equipment, taking medications, and other day to day tasks. During the holiday season this can become more challenging due to extra busy schedules, out of town visitors, ect. We suggest considering the transportation logistics of your holiday plan in advance. 

Consider the following questions:

Where will family gatherings take place?

How will your loved one go to and from family or holiday events?

Is your parent mobile and functional to get in and out of a vehicle? In and out of a restaurant or home? Are there stairs?

Typically the most important questions about transportation logistics are about thoroughly thinking through how to get your parent transported from one location to another.

Specialized Nursing Services is proud to support and facilitate transportation for your elderly parent. We’ll have our certified nurses or transportation specialists help you organize transportation for your parent during the holiday season.

Coordination

Coordination of family holiday events is complicated, even more so when you need to coordinate with a disabled parent. We suggest planning in advance. Make reservations for meals, overnight stays, and transportation with enough time beforehand so that you’re well aware of who will meet where and when. 

Consider planning additional time for arrival and settling in to homes or restaurants. Ensure there are elevators or ramps if necessary and advise the appropriate diet and health restrictions. 

Specialized Nursing Services caregivers are trained to help manage the coordination of your elderly parent’s physical health needs. This way, you can inform your certified in home caregiver where and when to meet, and they can coordinate the rest so your loved one is present for the holiday. 

Your parent will always have their medications administered on time, and healthcare concerns taken care of. 

Travel

If you plan to travel during the holidays with your parent, you must consider transportation logistics (see above) and coordination (see above) for all aspects of the trip from beginning to end. 

Some important tips for safe travel with seniors can be found here. 

Travel with seniors can be cumbersome, but with the support of a nurse aide, your parent will be taken care of and supported throughout the process. 

Services like packing assistance for medications and medical equipment, as well as personal items, loading and unloading, and medication administration during travel and throughout the trip can be provided. Diet and health restrictions can also be maintained by certified caregivers for your loved one. 

Traveling with seniors can be made simple with some planning. This way you can spend the holidays with your family, no need for a nursing home. 

Emergencies

One of the most important considerations for organizing time with elderly parents during the holidays is emergency planning. A nurse’s aide or home health care provider traveling with you should be certified in CPR and first responder trainings. Likely they will have additional specialized training to assist your parent with particular health concerns, like diabetes, stroke recovery, Alzheimer’s disease and others. 

It is also good practice to verse yourself in some basic emergency health and safety practices. Be sure to keep medical records, medication administration schedules, and emergency contact information on hand.

Many ‘emergencies’ can be avoided altogether with some advanced planning and organization so that you don’t have to worry about your parent’s healthcare during the holiday season.

Planning ahead for the upcoming holidays and your loved ones

Above are just a few ways to plan for holidays with your elderly or sick parents. Organization and thoughtfulness are keys to successful adult care-taking.

Specialized Nursing Services is proud to support your family in keeping your parents at home, so they don’t have to spend holidays in a nursing home. Call us today to learn more about in home care and holiday planning for your loved one. 

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