How you can give the Gift of the Holiday to an aging loved one.

The holidays are fast approaching, and for most of us this means fun times spent with family, friends and other loved ones. However, for seniors, holidays can be difficult. Many have lost a spouse and friends through the years, or perhaps live far away from their families and may be unable to travel long distances to see loved ones. This means the holidays can be a lonely time for many seniors, especially those who live by themselves at home.

This year, Comfort Keepers® encourages you to reach out to elderly people you know and give the gift of holiday cheer. There are many ways you can make a huge difference in the life of seniors by simply spending time with them. Offer to bake holiday goodies together, or invite a senior friend shopping for Christmas presents or a cup of coffee. You can play games and even spend an afternoon writing holiday cards to send to friends and family. Take a walk or an evening drive to enjoy holiday lights and decorations.



Reach out to seniors you do not know for the same reasons. Organize a holiday get- together at your church for seniors. Take a visit with your children to an assisted living facility and sing Christmas carols. You can also volunteer at local organizations that offer services to seniors in your community. You can help plan activities such as trips, exercise classes, book clubs or other gatherings that provide avenues for seniors to expand their circle of friends. Call an organization like Comfort Keepers, which employs caregivers to assist the elderly during the holidays and throughout the year to provide grocery shopping, light cleaning or other duties that make it easier for seniors to live independently at home alone. Comfort Keepers offers more than just physical assistance – we provide important social interaction for seniors on a daily basis. During the holidays, for example, caregivers could take your loved ones to holidays events, sit with them to go over old photo albums, and similar activities.



Spending time with seniors makes them feel valued, involved, and less lonely and isolated during the holiday season. The holidays can provide unique opportunities to connect with seniors in ways that enrich not only their lives, but your own. Giving the gift of your time is a small way you can make a large difference in the lives of seniors. They may not use words to express the value of your time with them, but watch as their faces light up with smiles and their steps become a bit lighter during your visit. You are certain to find your gift of holiday cheer comes to mean as much to you as it does to the elderly people with whom you share it.

Second and Third Careers: Continuing to Amaze

Traditionally in this country parents encourage their children to become educated in something, obtain employment and start a career. Years ago men and some ladies would start in a career whether it be on an assembly line at Scott's Plant in Eddystone or maybe as an entry level accountant or lawyer in a firm in Media. Over the years the expectation was a person would stay in this career and gradually move up to the next level being it supervisor, judge or whatever the next career move was in the field.

Today, most people do not work  in the field for which they trained or studied for. For example, Gloria a woman I know started her career as a journalist. Like most young people she trained and studied to write for newspapers and journals. As the years went by and technology took over, the jobs that she and many of her co-workers trained for were no longer there. They had to find other employment.

What does one do when the job you trained for is becoming obsolete? With our country being young at 200 years old this has not happened all that often. When you think about most of the folks who came to this country got jobs in local markets or in a factory somewhere. Many of them retired from the job they started at. It is not until recent say about 30-40 years ago when technology really took off and many of these jobs became obsolete. Now a days it is not uncommon to find a person in their 50's who has had two or three jobs some of which are not even in the field they started out in.

People like Gloria. A person who wondered what will I do when this career I trained for is obsolete? When the jobs are limited and the industry is not growing. I will have to find another way to earn money. Start again. Learn new skills. Be adaptable. Be flexible. Not so easy when you been on the earth for many years and you all of a sudden realize everything you trained for and worked for is no longer available.

This is why I have so much admiration for people who can switch careers. People who can start a new journey half way through life. Not only start a new journey but be very successful at it and make a difference in another person's life. People who once started in office jobs are now out among other people in the community making a difference in the life of a senior or the disabled. It is not uncommon for me to hear I never thought I would be doing a job like this, have to learn new skills or change careers but it is working for me and very gratifying.

Change is hard for everyone but sometimes it can result in the best thing that has ever happened to someone. If there is a job or profession you never thought you could do, maybe you can. It is never too late to start learning about new things. Just ask Gloria - http://www.guitarwithgloria.com/.