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Dec 06, 2019

Family Holiday Activities for Seniors in Assisted Living

At a time when being away from home can be emotionally difficult, keeping a person’s spirits up means it’s far easier to keep their health up too. Fortunately, there are loads of holiday and Christmas activities for assisted living residents that the whole family can enjoy. The fun holiday activities we’ll explore here are sure to fill your season with joy — regardless of your or your loved one’s level of ability.

Holiday Crafting

DIY holiday crafting is one of the favorite holiday activities for kids and one of many popular Christmas activities for assisted living residents at The Ridge. Holiday crafts are perfect for decorating the apartment or for gift-giving — spreading joy to friends and team members. Here are some of our favorite family holiday craft ideas:

A senior woman decorates Christmas cookies with her grandson

Decorating Cookies

Nothing says classic holiday fun like baking and decorating Christmas cookies with your loved ones. In The Ridge’s assisted living apartments featuring full kitchens, you can make holiday memories with your family with all the warmth of home. Baking cookies with loved ones is the perfect intergenerational holiday activities for seniors and children alike.

Holiday Stories Book

This unique holiday activity can preserve your family’s holidays for years and generations to come. Each family member writes their favorite family holiday memory on their own personally decorated page. Then put all the pages together in a book and read aloud everyone’s favorite memory. You can also decorate the full book cover with the family to represent your family’s traditions. Every holiday your family spends together, your book will keep growing, keeping those memories alive forever.

Card Writing Party

Everyone loves a good greeting card, especially when it’s handcrafted. And what better opportunity to get the whole family involved than making truly personalized holiday cards? Make it a party and give each person a specific task. One family member can address envelopes, another can manage the list, and all the kids can put their artistic skills to work adding festive flair. Plus, it can be done from the comfort of home! It’s also nice to create cards for folks celebrating Christmas at a nursing home or hospital in the area where a little holiday cheer goes long way.

Seniors sit in a home theater watching a movie

Cozy Movie Night

Many assisted living communities have community theaters – the perfect chance to bring your family to a holiday movie in your own community. Or, you can make your assisted living apartment a DIY home theater! We all know kids especially love making forts out of blankets and pillows, so help them take it one step further by covering the floor with cushions, making a blanket tent, and turning on your family’s favorite holiday movie. It’s an all-time favorite among holiday activities for kids, and one of the easiest Christmas ideas for senior parents.

Winter Wonderland Room Decoration

Yet another great crafting activity the whole family can get behind is transforming your apartment into a winter wonderland. Kids of any age will love making snowflakes with nothing more than plain white paper and scissors. For an extra air of winter, place some fluffy wool or cotton on your windows and scattered about shelves. With this family holiday craft idea, you can enjoy the peace of a snowy night in your warm, cozy apartment.

A senior looks through black and white photos in a photobook

Photobook Guessing Game

The photobook guessing game is a fun and unique way to entertain the family and let them learn a little about the family’s history. Simply gather old photos of senior family members in their youth and lay them out in a grid-like fashion. Then have the younger family members guess which photo belongs to which senior family member. Once guessed correctly, the senior family member then shares the story of what was going on in the photo or something particular about their life back then. It’s hours of entertainment and story swapping that can easily become your family’s newest holiday tradition.

Record Precious Memories

It doesn’t matter how you and your family enjoy the holidays together, only that you remember it’s more than possible to make wonderful holiday memories  while you or your loved one is in assisted living. Whatever memories you and yours make, be sure to document these special times by taking as many videos, photos and audio recordings as you can. You can be as creative as you’d like with your family holiday picture ideas, and you’ll be thankful you can relive the memories for years to come.

A senior man holds his infant grandson up to the window to look outside

Make Memories with Your Family Here

Need more ideas on creating holiday memories with parents? Read this list of great holiday suggestions. And if you’re looking for gift ideas for loved ones in senior living communities, visit our blog.

At The Ridge assisted living communities, we do everything possible to ensure you and your family are able to have a happy and memorable holiday. Residents here can treat their families to delicious holiday meals, neighborhood caroling and singalongs, and outings to holiday happenings. And remember, when your loved one lives at The Ridge, you’re always welcome to celebrate the holiday season with us.