5 decorating tips to make your senior living community festive for the holidays

Many people love being homeowners because it allows them to be really festive during the holidays. Having the ability to string lights, set up displays and even create a Halloween spook maze can be a blast. Seniors who live in senior living communities don’t have to get rid of their fun decor, though. Instead, they can brighten up their communities! Here are some ways to help your senior loved one deck out his or her space for the holidays:

Think lighting

One of the most popular ways to celebrate various holidays is to hang up strings of lights. Red and green are common Christmas colors and orange and black are frequently seen around Halloween. While lights can be a fun way to make a room festive, they can be disorienting to individuals who have memory issues. If your senior loved one wants to hang lights for a holiday, consider using a string that doesn’t blink or twinkle. This will mitigate the potentially disorienting effects of the lights while still brightening up the room. Be sure to run this idea by the senior living community staff as they may have rules about added lighting, and ask for their assistance and permission to hang the lights.

Promote visiting

Remember that house down the block that as a kid was totally decked out for the holidays? It looked inviting, and your family may have even gone to visit purely because the yard was so amazing. You can help seniors make friends by assisting in holiday decorating. A senior apartment that features festive decor may gain your loved one some new pals as they want to stop by and check out the room. Just make sure your senior friend or family member is ready for visitors.

Avoid automated decor

Have you ever taken a walk through a neighborhood around Halloween and been scared when a life-sized yard ornament came to life? These “boos” and screams may be funny in the aisle of the store but can cause a panic attack in a senior who isn’t expecting to be frightened. Avoid the large, automated decorations found around this time and instead look for stationary ones that are only scary at face value. Other holiday decor may make noises automatically too. Consider shutting these off so they don’t scare unsuspecting passersby.

Get everyone involved

Not everyone in senior living has a loved one to help him or her decorate. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to get festive! Consider talking with the community staff to see if you can create a fun activity for other residents, that involves making decorations. From creating door wreaths for the winter holidays to cutting out paper leaves for the fall, these events can bring together the residents and help make the entire community look nice. Hosting a crafting event provides an excellent opportunity for people to gather to work on their dexterity as well as to visit and talk about fun memories of past holidays.