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Holiday dementia care tips for loved ones

The Holiday season is a time to cherish along with your family and friends. For caregivers, assisting a Loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s can be even more stressful. Your loved one with is likely feeling the same. Searching for “dementia care near me” can prove to be difficult without facilities like Emerson House in Boise.

After all, you’ll be receiving more visits from family members as well as planning and doing holiday shopping. All of this contributes to stress. These top holiday tips will not only help you cope but also thrive during this stressful time.

Keep things low-key

Avoid large crowds and noises. Crowds can be stressful for anyone but especially for those living with dementia. Attend smaller, more low-key gatherings instead. Also, try to help your loved one avoid any confusion or stress that might occur.

Stick with safe gift ideas

When it comes to gifts, ask relatives and others to stick to safe gift ideas for your loved one with dementia. You can check out various websites for lists of safe gift ideas for someone with dementia, but a few common ones are photos, videos, bracelets, clothing, and stuff along those lines. Also, don’t forget about yourself. Get some respite care this holiday season. 

Give your loved one a “safe space”

Designate a “safe space” for your loved one. This will serve as a quiet getaway fro them in case things get too hectic. Whether it be at a relative’s house, a restaurant, or wherever, try to come to an understanding with everyone involved that your loved one should not be disturbed or bothered in this place.

Prioritize the people in your life

You don’t have to attend every single gathering. You and your loved one aren’t obliged to. You also aren’t required to host parties in your own home. Besides, every gathering that you attend is taking away your time to do something else, like spending more time with your loved one or preparing for a different occasion.

Get everyone involved

Holiday time can be fun when everyone is involved in it. Baking and decorating cookies, gift wrapping, decorating the house, and setting the table are all things that someone with dementia can participate in. Dementia care can involve creating some new memories with your loved ones and celebrating the holidays in tandem together.

Don’t ignore the warning signs of depression

Don’t try to pretend that everything is ok when it’s not. If you’re feeling depressed, then try and seek out a health care professional. Depression is actually quite common during and after the holiday time. This is especially the case for caregivers and people with dementia. Stress, as we discussed above, has a lot to do with it.

Stay loyal to traditions

You don’t have to abandon old traditions. Even if your loved one with dementia doesn’t remember them, it can still help them connect with the holiday season. Eating Christmas food and singing Christmas carols are traditions in many different families that should not go away just because of dementia.

Be aware of “caregiver burnout”

As the holiday season progresses, continue to be aware of holiday burnout. What is holiday burnout? Quite simply, it’s when you, as a caregiver, feel like you’ve had enough. This can happen when stress builds up, you lose your energy, and you feel completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally. 

Don’t feel bad about this. You’re not alone. Plenty of people lose their motivation and feel like they don’t care anymore about their loved ones, their caregiving responsibilities, their relationships, etc. You might feel like caregiving is just too much for you to handle, too big to grapple with, and that you want to just walk away from it. 

But hold on! If you’re feeling this way, this is what we call “caregiver burnout.” It’s not the end of the world. The remedy might be to just spend more quality time on yourself for a while. But try not to burn any bridges while you do. The telltale signs of burnout tend to be extreme highs and lows, feeling lethargic, and not thinking clearly. Stay vigilant for these signs and act accordingly.

Stick to the same schedule 

Try to follow the same routine as your loved one with dementia. Even though parties can go on late, don’t compromise on this rule. If you’re both on different schedules, future plans and celebrations can become disruptive rather than celebratory, so keep that in mind. Last-minute plans can contribute more to stress, as well.

Try to avoid sugar and alcohol

While we might love sugary foods during the holidays, make an effort for both of you to limit your intake of them. The same goes for alcohol. Try to avoid alcohol completely. Both of these substances can increase the risk of depression and other undesirable behavioral side effects.

Cut yourself some slack

Don’t be as strict with your to-do list during the holidays as you would be at other times. The holidays are a once a year opportunity to spend extra quality time with your loved ones. Try not to squander it. If your to-do list is taking up too much of your time and making you stressed during the holidays, then you can cut some of the items from your list without feeling guilty.

Make sure everyone’s on the same page

If you have visitors from out of town, then ensure that they understand your loved one’s condition. Your loved one with dementia might not be able to remember your guests, and that’s ok as long as everyone knows this beforehand. If problems arise, no one should take it personally.

Don’t forget about self-care along with dementia care

During the holiday season, it’s all too easy to forget about taking care of yourself. Yes, we already mentioned this but it bears repeating. Taking care of yourself will help you to take care of others better. Taking care of yourself means, for example, preparing healthy meals, exercising regularly, and spending some time outside. This will help to keep you healthy and reduce your stress levels as well. There are also other positive outlets that you may want to consider, such as blogging.

Trust your own judgment

Remember that no one knows you or your loved one as well as you do. You know what you can handle and what they can handle. If an event seems like it will be too overwhelming or difficult, then feel free to decline or reschedule.  Don’t hesitate to search for “dementia care near me” and contact Emerson House for more info and holiday advice.

The post Holiday dementia care tips for loved ones appeared first on Emerson House at Riverpointe.



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