The holiday season is upon us. The best way to spend the holidays is with family.

Unfortunately, some of our family members can be miles away. Traveling in the car or on a plane can make seeing your loved ones a little difficult especially, as you age. Figuring out travel plans and whether or not to make them can be stressful for many people.

Related: Tis the Season: Helping Seniors Manage Holiday Stress

But, not to fret! There are many ways you can still connect with your loved ones even if you can’t see them in person. The main way is through technology—it can be very useful when you want to catch up with your family members. According to the Pew Research Center,

“Around four-in-ten (42%) seniors ages 65 and older now own smartphones, more than double the share that did so in 2013.”

Below we offer you three ways to connect with your loved ones over the holidays.

Schedule a Skype or FaceTime session:

Scheduling a session to Skype with your family members is a perfect way to connect with each other. This way, you get to talk to your loved ones and see them. One way to make it feel even more like the holidays is to open each other’s presents during your Skype/Facetime session. Plan to mail your presents to your family ahead of time so they’ll arrive before your Skype/Facetime session. It will feel as if you’re all there together being able to see everyone’s reactions to their gifts.

Make a video:

Using your phone, wish your family members happy holidays through a video! You can make it ahead of time and send it to them on the day they’re celebrating. This will show them how much you miss and love them.

Give them a ring:

Even a simple can call bring your family members together. Next time you feel like connecting with your loved ones, call them up! It’s a great way to get the inside scoop on all the fun things they have planned for the holidays.

Use technology to stay close to your loved ones over the holiday season and throughout the year. If you feel like you still want more holiday celebrations, bring the holiday cheer to your assisted living home!

Related: How to Bring Holiday Cheer to Seniors in Assisted Living

 

Happy holidays from all of us at American Baptist Homes of the Midwest!