Navigating the Holidays in Assisted Living

The 2025 holiday season is officially upon us. Whether your residents are hardcore fans of the season, or would prefer to go about their business as usual, it can be a challenging time of year to navigate as an assisted living or residential care administrator. Let us guide you with three practical tips to make this holiday season enjoyable for all of your residents.

1. Navigating Emotions

The holiday season is a challenging time for many, and especially for those in assisted living facilities. They might be reminiscing about past holiday experiences, or grieving somebody who is no longer alive. It is crucial that you find ways to support them.

First, be sure to acknowledge whatever feelings they may be having, and hold space for them. Listen to them, but more importantly, make sure that you really hear what they are saying. Validate whatever they’re feeling! This, of course, can be complicated if your resident has dementia. Perhaps they are confused, wondering where their loved ones are, or why their environment looks so different. We recommend checking out this article by the Alzheimer’s Association for more thorough information on this.

Next, while the holiday blues can’t necessarily be cured, there are some ways to manage these negative feelings that are bound to arise. We recommend focusing on the three c’s: connection, community, and continuity.

Connection: Connect with your residents. Be sure that you know what they like, what they dislike, and their cultural practices.

Community: Have an emphasis on community events that bring your residents together.

Continuity: Do your residents have a favorite holiday tradition? Make sure to include it in your activities planning to help them feel a sense of normalcy and stability.

2. Have a Variety of Activities for All Ability Levels

One of the great things about the holiday season is all the different ways to celebrate! It’s important to offer your residents a variety of activities for all ability levels and energy levels. Having a successful holiday in assisted living is all about offering various ways for your residents to have fun. This can include:

Movies

Host a movie night or three for your facility! There are so many hilarious, heartwarming, and classic holiday movies to choose from. Here’s an assisted living holiday tip from one of our pros:

“Holiday movie nights are low-impact ways to boost community engagement, forge connections, and make special memories for all of your residents! Though, many holiday movies are based around Christmas, and lots of people don’t celebrate Christmas! Be mindful of that as you choose what films to screen.”

Holiday Lights Tour

Does your town have a specific neighborhood that goes all out for their holiday decorations? Take your facility van out for a spin and embark on a guided tour! This is a great way to get your residents out of the facility while keeping them safe and warm. Don’t forget to bring a few thermoses of warm cocoa for nostalgia.

Special, Seasonal Menus

Food: the great unifier. So many feasts to be had this holiday season. Make sure to have special menus to reflect a variety of holiday traditions that make sense for your residents. Whether that means preparing a Christmas roast, some sizzling latkes for Hanukkah, or a hearty Karamu Feast for Kwanzaa, figure out what your residents’ holiday traditions are and meal plan accordingly!

A Note on Family + Bringing In Outside Food

Lots of clients’ families will visit several times during the holiday season. Family time can be complicated. Or fun. A lot of families will want to bring special food for their loved one. While we’re sure that Aunt Mary’s tuna casserole recipe is divine, it is generally not recommended to allow outside food into your facility. We recommend that you watch this video to learn more about this.

3. Staffing

And for our final tip: make sure that your facility has adequate staffing for the season. Many people take off the holidays to spend it with their families, as is their right. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the proper amount of staff members working shifts. Whether this means calling in temps or hiring part-timers, make sure that your facility is running smoothly!

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At the end of the day, we know that you all will do what’s best for your residents and their individual needs. We hope that this holiday season brings you and your residents some moments of joy, warmth, and connection.

Happy holidays from all of us at Community Care Options!