Staying Safe through the Holiday Season

We are well into the Holiday Season. For many seniors this means family gatherings, shopping, maybe some travel. For others it means loneliness and isolation. But there are some great ideas to make the holiday season happy, healthy, and safe for most of this age group. Listed below are some of those suggestions for to help. 

• Have all medications checked to make sure you have enough to make it through the holidays. The pharmacist is not available on Christmas or New Year’s.

• Do not take unnecessary risks, like climbing a ladder, or step onto a chair to place decorations. Have a younger friend or relative hang or change the location or the ornament. This even more important for those who are alone.

• Avoid crowded shopping malls if you are unsteady on your feet. Make a list and have a younger person do the shopping for you.

• If you live alone, make plans with another single person to have Christmas dinner together, sharing the cooking and preparation. This will be a major benefit for loneliness and depression.

• If you plan to be at a large gathering, and may become overwhelmed, have a plan for when you have reached your limit. That can be to go home or find a less crowed and noisy area.

• If the holidays include staying in another home, make sure you are very aware of any potential fall factors. That may include throw rugs on a slippery surface, cords, cluttered pathways and tiled floors.

• If you will be driving during the holidays, choose a travel time that avoids peak driving such as the time schools get out or long weekends, when most families will be traveling.

• Monitor your eating, as holiday meals can be loaded with carbohydrates and sugars, dangerous for those that have diabetes. If you have digestive track issues, try not to “over-eat”, you will be very happy later for making that decision.