Family gatherings during the holidays are the most usual and fun things to do, especially for families who live apart. Children also look forward to gatherings because they are excited to meet with their cousins or other family members. For elders, this is also very important and fun because they spend time with their grandkids, children, or friends they don’t always meet.

Celebrating special occasions with your loved ones brings significant effects to each other, especially to our grandparents (the elders) who long for their grandchildren, kids, or even old acquaintances.

Here are some benefits the gatherings could give to the elders:

1. It can help them feel more loved because of the presence of their loved ones. Being loved and cared for will give them more happiness and relief.

2. It can help them recognize family members. But unfortunately, some elders suffer from other memory loss-related diseases that cause them to forget their loved ones. Still, if they always attend the gatherings with you, they may remember you or their memories with you. And also, if there are newborn babies or new family members, they can meet them.

3. It can relieve their stress and get them more upbeat, especially if they do the things they love while at the gathering.

4. They’ll get to be updated in everyone’s lives. They will feel more included because they get to know what their family is doing, which will make them add those things to their memory.

These are just some expected benefits we noticed to the people we know and some clients we served. Aside from the fun things or the dining activity, gathering with family members increased after the pandemic. Some studies say that it made people more family-oriented, close to each other, and protective of everyone. That is why they chose to gather together in a house or a private place rather than spend somewhere unusual.

Please give your loved ones time to celebrate or just bond with you whenever possible. Life is unpredictable, and it is always better to do something good that is sometimes unexpected of you rather than regret something you didn’t do when you had the opportunity to do so.