HYANNIS – The holiday season is expected to add to the long list of plans and traditions that had to be changed or modified in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research recently conducted by the AARP showed that 64 percent of family caregivers expect to change their typical holiday traditions, and 77 percent say the pandemic will affect their plans.
More than 1 and 5 Americans are caregivers.
“Everyone is adapting, and I think that’s the key word, we don’t have to cancel the holidays, but we have to adapt,” said AARP Caregiving expert Amy Goyer.
In a recent survey conducted by the AARP, 44 percent of caregivers have said that the pandemic has negatively affected their mental health.
Goyer advises that although holiday interaction will have to be done through social distancing, the public can still increase the frequency of those interactions.
For instance, if you plan on sending a loved one multiple gifts send each gift separately so receiving each gift is an exciting separate event.
If a loved one cannot be visited in person, decorate outside the person’s window and gather with family and friends outside of a loved ones house to listen to Christmas carols.
Zoom is also always a safe option to interact with loved ones, and holiday arts and crafts, baking, and concerts are all fun and safe options to engage in via zoom with loved ones.
“Acknowledge the change, acknowledge that things are different this year, and we don’t need to pretend that’s not true. However, what can we do? Focus on what we can do and not what we can’t,” said Goyer.
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