OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall Winter 2021

The Oregon Caregiver FALL/WINTER 2021 www.ohca.com 22 SPONSORED CONTENT T hankfully, holiday season 2021 is underway and looking a lot brighter than it did in 2020. After a hectic year filled with challenges, changing regulations and restrictions, and burnout, you may be coming up short on the best ways to celebrate the holidays this year. Between working in difficult labor conditions, to ongoing virus concerns and restrictions, to supply chain woes, it’s a tricky time to organize celebratory events. Here are our best tips for pulling off a community celebration with limited resources or personnel. 1. Keep Activities Resident-Led Talk to residents about the ways that they want to celebrate. While not all ideas may be possible, hearing about the ways residents traditionally celebrate can spark new ideas for the 2021 holiday season. You may also find that residents have innovative ideas of their own for keeping the holidays on track. Look for hidden talents: who are the singers? Do some residents like to dance? What about putting on a play, or shooting a movie featuring resident actors? While many residents may not be as physically capable as they once were, many more are still able to make a difference and help. From crafting decorations, to creating gifts for one another, even helping to wrap silverware for a special event or assisting with set up, residents can enjoy the feeling of useful- ness while helping during holiday time. 2. Make the Meals Upscale Yet Convenient When it comes to meal prep, keep things convenient. Many high-quality pre- prepared products can make special meals a breeze. You can order frozen or shelf-stable pre-made items well in advance, to avoid delivery delays the week of your celebration, and let senior community staff know the plan in case of staffing issues on the day of the party. These pre-made or partially prepared options mean that even staff with less kitchen training can pull off a spectacu- lar holiday feast. There are choices for all kinds of beliefs and preferences, from halal and kosher, to vegetarian and other dietary restric- tions. There are plenty of options through your distribution partners. Round out the meal with desserts from local bakeries or have residents decorate their own cookies for an interactive component. 3. Make it a Community Affair While many departments may be struggling with staffing, there can still be opportunities for collaboration to make the holidays special, like delivering holiday cards with meals or passing gifts out with snacks. If your community offers therapy services, try combining Party Pivot: How to Avoid the Holiday No-Ho-Ho in 2021 By Jen Bruning, MS, RDN, LDN, Incite Strategic Partners The long term sector has been through a lot and being able to celebrate another year together with your residents shouldn’t be a chore. Rally your community, departments, neighbors, and suppliers to help you send out 2021 with a bang!