HealthBridge's In-Home Care Blog

Oh, the holidays.  Everyone says this is the most wonderful time of the year, but if you're a caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia, you know how hard it is to keep it wonderful.  You want to preserve your loved one's favorite holiday traditions, but you know that some activities are just impossible. 

How do you maintain the happiness of the holidays without making yourself nuttier than a fruitcake in the process?  

Our friends at the Alzheimer's Association have put together some excellent advice on keeping the holidays special.  Follow their guidance and you'll ensure this is a joyful season.  

Adjust your expectations
No one, including yourself, should expect you to maintain every holiday tradition or event.

• Give yourself permission to do only what you can reasonably manage
• Choose holiday activities and traditions that are most important to you
• Host a small family dinner instead of a throwing a big holiday party
• Consider serving a catered or takeout holiday meal. Many grocery stores and restaurants offer meals to go.
• Start a new tradition. Have a potluck dinner where family or friends each bring a dish

Involve the person in the festivities
There are many manageable activities the person and you can do together, such as:

• Wrap gifts
• Bake favorite holiday recipes together. The person can stir batter or decorate cookies.
• Set the table. Avoid centerpieces with candles and artificial fruits and berries that could be mistaken for edible snacks.
• Talk about events to include in a holiday letter
• Prepare simple foods such as appetizers
• Read cards you receive together
• Look through photo albums or scrapbooks. Reminisce about people in the pictures and past events.
• Watch a favorite holiday movie
• Sing favorite carols or read biblical passages

When the person lives in a care facility
A holiday is still a holiday whether it is celebrated at home or at a care facility. Here are some ways to celebrate together:

• Consider joining your loved one in any facility-planned holiday activities
• Bring a favorite holiday food to share
• Sing holiday songs. Ask if other residents can join in.
• Read a favorite holiday story or poem out loud

Keep these tips top of mind and you'll make sure this remains the most wonderful time of the year for you and your loved ones. 

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Thanks, again, to the Alzheimer's Association for supplying the tips above.  

Snowman photo by:  MGShelton