Spending Christmas Day with loved ones in care homes

How can you help families who will be spending Christmas Day with loved ones in care homes?

The Christmas period, especially Christmas Day itself, can still be a magical, wonderous time for those living in care, but for care home staff it can be a challenging time as they put all their efforts into making it a special time for those they care for. Christmas Day will also probably be a time that families will want to visit their loved ones in care homes, or even spend the day with them, so we’ve put together some tips on how you can help to make it a great day for everyone involved. 

The first thing that you need to think about is that this could be a difficult time of transition for the families of those living in care. Christmas is a time steeped in family traditions, and if this is the first year where one of your residents is living in the care home, then that will be a big adjustment not just for them but for their families. Being sensitive to this is critical.  

The build up to Christmas Day 

Some (if not many) say that the build up to Christmas and all the fun to be had during those festive weeks where excitement builds is as important and enjoyable as the day itself. So, building up to Christmas in the care home is just as important as celebrating the big day itself. 

As someone working in a care home, who wants to make the Christmas period special for your residents, the weeks leading up to Christmas present a wonderful opportunity for engagement with festive themed activities. Not only does these activities build excitement for residents, but it also gives families the chance to get involved in the festive fun over a longer period of time, rather than just the day itself.  

Some of the most festive activities are ones that can include family and friends of people living in care. These include carol singing sessions, Christmas craft workshops, Christmas card making, festive baking or shopping trips as well as gift wrapping afternoons. 

Communication is key 

Especially if it is the first year that a family’s loved one is spending Christmas at a care home, they’ll probably have some questions regarding how to approach Christmas in a care home. They’ll probably want to know what the parameters are around visits, including when to visit and if they can visit on Christmas Day and for how long and what time. They also might want to know about the plans and activities that are scheduled in the run-up to Christmas Day, as well as the plan for the day itself. For example, when will lunch be, and what activities are planned. 

Christmas Day itself 

For starters, there may well be some scheduling points that families will need to be made aware of, as well as other circumstances that could determine whether or not they can visit and for how long. For example, if Christmas lunch is being served at a specific time, then it might be a good idea to let them know that visiting before or after this may be better (for example they could spend the morning with their loved one or the evening or the majority of the day). They might be able to join for Christmas lunch, but that will depend on the specific circumstances of your home and its residents. 

But as well as this, it will depend on any conditions that their relative is living with and having open communication around this is important. For example, if their relative is living with dementia, then there will be some days that are better than others. If Christmas Day happens to fall on a ‘bad’ day, then a shorter visit might be more beneficial. Again, it depends on the circumstances of each resident. But whatever the case, you need to help family members understand the situation and give them as much information and clarity as you can on what is possible and best for their loved one.  

Outside of this, it’s important to make family members visiting on Christmas Day feel welcome. Though enjoyable, it will nonetheless likely be quite a hectic day for staff, but despite this you need to make sure you are welcoming and accommodating to visiting family members.  

When family members visit on Christmas day, whether it’s for a brief visit or they plan to spend the majority of the day at the care home, you should make them feel welcome by including them in the festivities of the day. This will help them to feel part of the celebrations and also help to foster a continued closeness with their relatives as the tradition of spending Christmas Day together is upheld.  

Ensure that they are involved in any activities you have planned. For example, if you are partaking in activities like crafts or gift exchanges, be sure to keep them involved – you could make some time for family members to give their gifts to the resident as part of the activity. This might be the perfect opportunity to bring two activities together. If you have already, as part of the festive period, hosted a session where residents can make special gifts for their residents, then this would be the perfect and most poignant moment to share them! 

There are other ways to encourage family members to have fun on Christmas Day if they are visiting their loved one. You can encourage festive attire like Christmas jumpers, which the staff can also wear to give the home that festive feeling! Also be sure to offer visiting family members plenty of drinks and snacks! You might want to offer them mince pies or hot chocolate. 

Ultimately, it comes down to open communication with families and making sure that they are fully aware of the options they have and what is possible to best suit the wellbeing of their loved ones too, to ensure that resident experience is prioritised. You can even take some time before the day itself to talk with them and ask them what their plans are and what they want to do, and you can go from there.