Holidays with Dementia

​If this is your first holiday season as a caregiver of someone with a dementia diagnosis, naturally, you may feel anxious about what that means for your holiday plans.  The hours you spent in years past creating place settings and cooking 5-course meals may be spent helping your loved one bathe or stay occupied.  The four-hour road trip you take every year may not seem realistic with your new reality.  The first step to enjoying the holiday season with your loved one is accepting that things will be different.  If you spend your time trying to force things to be how they once were, you will find yourself disappointed. Reset your expectations and find creative ways to incorporate your loved one and simplify your usual tasks. 

• Having too many people over at the same time may be overstimulating. Consider staggering visitors and planning to have company at the times of day your loved one is most alert.  If mom is usually more alert in the morning, consider a Thanksgiving brunch instead of a dinner.
• Do not be afraid to ask for help! You may feel particularly burnt out watching other family members do the holidays as usual while you are home providing care.  More family may be in town for the holidays, make sure to ask them to give you a few hours of free time by spending time with your loved one.
• Avoid rearranging a familiar room or using large distracting decorations.
• Play familiar music in the background that you know keeps your loved one calm.

If you need additional support reach out to the support groups listed in our previous posts.  Take a deep breath and make the most of the season!