Dr. Jameca CooperForensic Psychology Consultant, Emergence Psychological Services · Board Certified Counseling Psychologist and Forensic Psychology Consultant

💛Let’s show up for them. #holidayseason #mentalhealth #kindnessmatters #seniorlove #communitycare

26 Nov 2025 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:36

In this short monologue, Dr. Jameca Cooper highlights how the holiday season can be especially isolating for many older adults and offers three practical ways to support them. First, she stresses the importance of simply visiting seniors to show they are cared for, especially after retirement, loss of a spouse, or reduced mobility. Second, she suggests bringing baked goods—like pound cake, brownies, or cookies—as a tangible expression of compassion. Third, she recommends helping seniors become comfortable with digital tools such as smartphones, texting, FaceTime, email, and social media, which can dramatically improve their ongoing connection to family and community. Throughout, she emphasizes that small, caring actions can significantly reduce feelings of rejection and loneliness among older adults during the holidays.

Chapters

While the holidays bring joy, happiness, and excitement for many people, it isn't that way for everyone in our community. Older adults often get the short end of the stick, and many of them feel rejected, ignored, and totally disconnected. So if you would like a couple of tips on ways to connect with the older adults around you, here are a few. One, drop by and pay them a visit. Let them know you care. You'd be surprised of how significant it is for them because many times once they retire or their spouse dies or they become homebound, they feel like no one cares about them. They may not be able to get out and do some of the things they used to do and visit others like they did in the past, so just simply stopping by to let them know you care is huge for them. Number 2: the power of baked goods. I know one thing, I love a good pound cake. Who doesn't? If you can simply stop by and drop off brownies, cookies, whatever it is that they love to eat or snack on. That's another way of showing care and compassion. Number 3, take some time to help them get acclimated to electronics, things like smartphones, text messages, FaceTime, email, social media, because if they can learn to use those tools, they can really consistently be more connected to those around them. So just remember, sharing is caring, and don't forget about the older adults in our communities.