The holidays can be a happy time, with many opportunities to get together with friends and family to celebrate. It can also be a tough time for some, often exacerbated by illnesses or the loss of a loved one. Loneliness is also more marked during significant moments of the day or the year: during meals, festivities, holidays, evenings and nights. Healthcare and socialcare professionals, friends, family members and neighbours can help break the cycle of loneliness, by identifying isolated older adults, providing them with care without infantilizing them, and visiting them regularly. It’s also important to maintain a network around them, promote inter-generational activities, and encourage them to participate in activities that appeal to them and that give them a taste for life, such as painting, music and walks. Together, it is possible to make a breach in the walls of solitude affecting our older adults.
Combatting loneliness during the holidays
Featured Resources
- Blog Post: Addressing the social needs of older adults: A contributing factor to their health and well-being
- Blog Post: Long-distance caregiving: How to fulfil your role as a caregiver when you are far away
- Blog Post: Loneliness hurts. How to recognize loneliness as a health concern.
- Blog Post: Understanding loneliness and social isolation
- Blog Post: Companion animals: can they alleviate loneliness among older adults?
- Blog Post: Breaking down the walls of solitude
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Many of our Blog Posts were written before the COVID-19 pandemic and thus do not necessarily reflect the latest public health recommendations. While the content of new and old blogs identify activities that support optimal aging, it is important to defer to the most current public health recommendations. Some of the activities suggested within these blogs may need to be modified or avoided altogether to comply with changing public health recommendations. To view the latest updates from the Public Health Agency of Canada, please visit their website.
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