Holiday Blues in Nursing Homes

The Christmas season can bring plenty of joy and celebration, but it can also lead to the holiday blues for those living in nursing homes.
Boyington Health Care Facility in Gulfport aims to keep smiles on residents’ faces by planning a variety of activities throughout the month. Arts and crafts, movie nights, and live band appearances are just some of the indoor activities staff members provide to lift spirits.
Boyington residents also have the opportunity to go out into the community for some Christmas fun. Staff members plan to take residents to the Harbor Light Show at Jones Park at least four times before Christmas Day. Boyington resident Allen Pickens said, “You’re going to have a moment where you get down and that’s the time where we all pull together and talk to that person and try to lift them up and let them know that it’s not as bad as it seems.”
Activity coordinators at Boyington tell News 25 they have multiple events planned for every day in the month of December.