HOLIDAY HINTS FOR CAREGIVERS
Post date: 12/13/2022
Holiday activities may confuse or over-stimulate a person with dementia. Family members may struggle to find a happy medium between celebrating and not upsetting their loved one.
The following tips can help you find a balance between peace on earth (and at home) and holiday merriment.
- Make “Less is More” your mantra for the holidays. Allow yourself to say “no thank you” to some invitations.
- Be flexible. If past holiday traditions are no longer practical, create some new ones.
- Consider putting up fewer and simpler decorations.
- Brief guests or visitors who may not have seen your loved one in a while about their condition. Suggest ways to communicate.
- Celebrate with a smaller number of people.
- Celebrate for a shorter amount of time. Wind things down if your loved one shows signs of fatigue or agitation.
- Maintain your loved one’s daily routine as much as possible.
- Recognize what you as a caregiver can realistically manage.
Marty Finley is a Memory Care Navigator for Sun Health.