Caregivers in Indianapolis, IN

Being a multigenerational caregiver is all about taking advantage of your role as a family caregiver for your aging parents and as a parent to your children. This allows you to spend quality time with both generations, meeting all of their care and personal needs with less need to spread yourself thin or miss out on the things that you would like to do with them. By taking a multigenerational approach to your care you also encourage your parents and your children to learn from one another, share with each other, and grow together. The memories that your children will make spending this time with your parents are something that will shape them throughout their lives and that they will treasure well into their future.

This Thanksgiving, use these ideas to plan a celebration that takes your multigenerational care efforts into account and ensures a happy, healthy, and memorable holiday for everyone in your family:

• Share family recipes. Most families have at least one special recipe that they enjoy making during the holidays. This may be a recipe that your parents got from their parents and even their grandparents, something that they came up with on their own, or maybe even something that you have contributed to the annual feast. Spend some time leading up to the Thanksgiving feast talking about these family recipes, how they came about, and what they mean to the family, and then encourage your parents and children to make them together

• Discover new recipes. If your parents have dietary restrictions, get together with them and your children to discover new recipes that fit in with those guidelines. Experiment with them together and then encourage them to choose one to make together for the feast

• Create decorations. Decorations make the home more appealing and welcoming for all of your Thanksgiving guests, but they are also a way to add a personal touch to your space and show off the creativity, imagination, and personalities of the people who you love. Do crafts with your children, your parents, and your partner so that you can fill the space with personalized decorations, whether they are elegant centerpieces, useful napkin rings, beautiful tokens to place at each of the table settings, or cute turkeys to add a pop of color and fun to your space. Work on these for the days leading up to the holiday as your way of adding mental stimulation to your routine while also getting ready for the holiday

• Share memories. Have your parents share memories that they have from their childhood Thanksgivings with their families. This is an amazing time to find out about their parents, cousins, and siblings, what types of food they enjoyed, and the activities that they did together. Try to find ways that you can incorporate some of those traditions into your Thanksgiving celebrations this year and into the future to honor your parents’ and the generations who came before you. Be sure to take plenty of pictures so that you can think back on the memories that you are making now when the holidays come again next year.

The professionals at Great Care are available to talk with you and your family about all of your home care needs. Great Care is a non medical in-home care agency providing quality and affordable caregivers in Indianapolis, IN and the surrounding areas. Call (317) 595-9933 for more information.