How to make holiday fun

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Hi everyone, I've been a nurse for around 4 months now on a psychiatric inpatient unit at a hospital. It's an adult and geriatric floor. I'm looking for some ideas or insight into how to make the holidays meaningful and fun for our patients who have to spend them in the hospital with us, as I realize how hard the holidays can be for some of the psychiatric patients. Thanks :)

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I was inpatient at Halloween, and the nurses rented us some fun movies and made popcorn for us. We also got candy and were given pumpkins to paint as we chose. Thanksgiving and Christmas are probably a lot harder on the patients though, but perhaps they could decorate Christmas stockings and make no-bake cookies. You could also ask the dietary department to give them cocoa, eggnog, and peppermint canes as treats. It really means a lot when staff do these small things.....I know I appreciated it because I'd really wanted to go out trick-or-treating with my grandsons, and I couldn't.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

We've been doing Thanksgiving lunches and dinners for our patients, and not just by putting some turkey roll on the menu. We've been doing serious food and dessert spreads and getting the patients involved in making decorations. In one program, we sat the patients down and all of the staff served them Thanksgiving lunch at the tables. I think I walked about 3 miles during that meal alone.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

My facility celebrated halloween by helping the residents to dress up and holding a costume contest. They also got to "trick or treat" in the building.

For thanksgiving, turkey, stuffing, rolls etcetera were made for the residents.

For Christmas, our facility works with some non profit agencies to provide them with gifts that they request.

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