The holidays are a time to gather with friends and family to celebrate, enjoy meals, and be together. However, many individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and seniors battle a feeling of devastating loneliness during the most festive time of year. Adults with IDD might live alone, having lost their parents; seniors might have no family near them or have no remaining family members. Family members might fail to reach out to grandparents, elderly relatives, or close relatives with disabilities.
This holiday season, don’t let seniors or individuals with disabilities feel left out. Instead, create a holiday loneliness plan to integrate loved ones into the holiday festivities and map out a solution to include those who live far away, too.
Table of Contents:
Loneliness by the Numbers
The Holiday Blues
How to Create a Holiday Loneliness Plan
Christmas Eve Traditions for Families
Christmas Morning and Christmas Day Traditions
Fight Loneliness with Technology that Enhances Connections
Loneliness Is Not Isolated to the Holidays
Seniors and Individuals with IDD Don’t Want Pity
FAQ: Loneliness and the Holidays
Synopsis:
Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and seniors might struggle with loneliness during the holidays. Friends and family members can create a loneliness plan that addresses the events and activities for the holidays and focuses strategies that allows individuals to be included in the festivities.
Loneliness By the Numbers
In 2017, AARP conducted a survey focused on holiday social connections. Slightly more than 30 percent reported feeling lonely during the season. Interestingly, the survey revealed that 41 percent of respondents were concerned about others in their social circle feeling lonely.
Another survey conducted in 2018 reported loneliness in individuals with a “debilitating disability or medical condition” and those with serious mental health illnesses. The survey revealed that 40 percent of individuals with a debilitating disability and 47 percent of individuals with a serious mental health condition felt lonely and socially isolated.
However, these surveys are now six years old and five years old, respectively. COVID-19 happened, and social distancing kept more individuals with disabilities and senior adults isolated and alone. Mental health issues skyrocketed post-Covid. Now, loneliness and the feeling of isolation are much more common.
The National Institutes of Health cited a 2021 study related to mental health after the pandemic. According to NIH, “...nearly half of Americans surveyed reported recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder, and 10% of respondents felt their mental health needs were not being met.”
The Holiday Blues
While the holidays are supposed to be a time of great joy and celebration, individuals with disabilities and seniors who live alone or those who live in a group home might feel isolated, lonely, and left out during the holidays. Again, not everyone has close family nearby, and many seniors lack close relatives.
Holiday cheer is less than joyful when there is no celebration, family, or friends. Group homes or assisted living communities often try to host holiday gatherings and festivities, yet not every resident feels connected to these gatherings.
Family and friends of individuals with IDD and seniors can–and should–intervene during the holidays. A holiday loneliness plan creates a roadmap for helping seniors and those with disabilities combat holiday loneliness, feel connected, and understand that they are valued and loved.
How to Create a Holiday Loneliness Plan
A holiday loneliness plan (a version of a social isolation care plan) addresses how family and friends will include seniors and individuals with IDD during the holiday. It creates a schedule for each holiday celebration, ensuring no one is left out during the festivities.
These unique social isolation care plans address inclusion for:
Christmas traditions
Christmas Eve traditions for families
Christmas morning traditions
Hanukkah traditions
New Year’s Eve celebrations
A plan can be organized via a chart. Add in details about transportation plans (who will pick up and drop off), events for the day, and scheduled check-ins and phone calls to ensure individuals feel included. Use this example for guidance:
Time | Christmas Eve | Christmas Day | New Year’s Eve |
Morning (9 a.m. to 11. a.m.) | Pick up for Christmas Eve breakfast | Pick up for church service. | Visit assisted living center and have breakfast. |
Afternoon (noon to 4 p.m.) | Lunch and presents. | Phone call and Zoom check-in | Lunch with friends. |
Evening (5 p.m. to 9 p.m.) | Holiday movie night. | Dinner together at the group home. | Zoom party with family |
The goal of your holiday loneliness plan is to schedule events, meet-ups, or Zoom calls throughout the day during the holidays. Ideally, the individual should have a day filled with events, check-ins, and visits. Again, family and friends can work together for transportation logistics and event planning.
If in-person events are not possible, family and friends can host extended Zoom calls for a virtual game night. Sending packages, cards, and other holiday treats also helps individuals feel included.
Christmas Eve Traditions for Families
Family and friends might not know how to include individuals with IDD or seniors in their celebration plans. For families who celebrate on Christmas Eve, here are five ideas for creating an inclusive holiday celebration:
Extend an invitation to church services
Host a Christmas Eve dinner
Celebrate with a White Elephant exchange (buy inexpensive fun gifts)
Schedule a holiday movie night
Visit individuals in assisted living communities or at group homes
Christmas Morning and Christmas Day Traditions
Christmas morning celebrations are quite traditional. Including everyone on Christmas morning might require more scheduling, but it’s still feasible. Christmas Day celebrations include:
Gift exchanges
A festive lunch or dinner
Church services (morning)
Going to see a movie at the theater
Fight Loneliness with Technology that Enhances Connections
Assistive technology improves connectivity. Your social isolation care plan for your loved one can be facilitated by the use of certain devices or systems! Gifts for seniors or individuals with IDD can include devices that help them communicate with friends and family. Tablets and smartphones allow individuals to video chat, text, and call.
Smartwatches also can aid communication and help individuals remember important tasks. Watches include timers, reminders, and other capabilities that simplify tasks. Built-in GPS allows watches to help keep individuals safe, and an SOS notifies authorities and family members about an emergency. These wearables also can detect falls.
Loneliness Is Not Isolated to the Holidays
Family members and friends should remember that individuals with IDD and seniors need connections and friendships. Social isolation and loneliness are not unique to the holidays.
Once the holiday season ends, don’t forget about relatives and friends with unique needs. Here are 10 ways to ensure seniors and individuals with disabilities stay socially active:
Schedule to have a meal together
Visit them regularly (if they are close)
Call regularly
Plan an activity together (go to a park, a movie, etc.)
Remember their birthday and celebrate together
Schedule Zoom calls for a virtual face-to-face interaction
Invite them to functions, engagements, and church services
Send packages and letters
Include them in planning activities (ask them what they want to do)
Take them shopping
These are just some ways to help you and your family maintain your social isolation care plan! As you get into the habit of inclusive celebrations, you’ll find even more ways to make your loved one feel included. Keep in mind that some seniors and individuals with disabilities do not drive. When planning visits or activities, consider transportation needs.
Seniors and Individuals with IDD Don’t Want Pity
Inclusion should never be reserved for the holidays. Writer Leslie A. Zukor penned an essay for The Mighty titled: “I Don’t Want Pity for Being Disabled and Alone on the Holidays.” Zukor explains that social media posts focused on remembering to include individuals with disabilities (or other special needs) during the holidays feels inauthentic. Zukor equated these disingenuous reminders with high school students only completing community service hours to look good on college applications.
Offering a pity invite is not the same as genuinely caring about an individual. Care and respect must occur year-round, not simply when the holidays strike a generous and sentimental chord. Check in with individuals regularly, talk to them, show interest in their lives, and make them feel seen, valued, and appreciated.
FAQ: Loneliness and the Holidays
Why do people get lonely during the holidays?
Not everyone has family or friends with whom they can celebrate the holidays. Imagine spending Christmas or Thanksgiving alone without anyone calling or visiting. Many seniors and individuals with disabilities live alone and feel disconnected from celebrations.
What to do about holiday blues?
The holiday blues refer to the sadness that some individuals feel during the holidays. Personal connections and a strong support system can help seniors and individuals with disabilities battle the holiday blues. Call or visit individuals regularly and invite them to gatherings whenever possible.
Do people get sad during the holidays?
Yes, many people feel sad during the holidays. Seniors and individuals with disabilities who are living alone or apart from their families might struggle with sadness and loneliness during the festive time. For this reason, family and friends should make a plan for the holidays that ensures seniors and family members/friends with disabilities are included in the holiday merriment.
Is it sad to want to spend the holiday alone?
Some people prefer to spend the holidays alone. They might not like the hustle and bustle of the holidays, and many individuals struggle with social anxiety. It’s ok if individuals want to spend the holiday alone.
How do you help seniors during the holidays?
Visit seniors during the holidays or invite them to a celebration. Many seniors do not have family, and some live far from their family members.
Comments