If you are providing daily care for an elderly loved one who has dementia, you know what each day looks like, what your loved one can manage well, and what parts of her daily living activities she might struggle with and need some assistance to help her be successful. And while you’ve been there each day helping her with her condition, the holidays are coming up, and you may have a lot of family members who may not have seen your elderly loved one for a year or more, and are not up-to-date on her health or understand the depths of the disease. 

So, how do you help your loved one have a wonderful holiday while also meeting the expectations of those visiting? Here are a few tips. 

Communication is Everything

It’s important to talk to all family and friends that your elderly loved one will be interacting with this holiday season about how your loved one is doing and how the disease has progressed since they last saw her. It’s possible that she’s declined quite a bit in her cognitive health, or it might be barely noticeable to those who don’t see her often. 

If your family/friend gathering is fairly small, you might consider asking everyone to gather via video call before plans are made. That way, you can answer questions and talk openly about concerns you may have and how they can help you during the festivities. 

If you have a larger family gathering, an email to everyone coming is a great way to start conversations and make sure everyone is aware of the situation. Everyone must be on the same page, especially when it comes to the safety of your loved one. 

These communications can also be a great time to talk about the best ways for family and friends to connect with and include your loved one in the day’s events without overwhelming her. 

Prepare to Change Things Up a Bit

You might not be able to do everything the same as before. If midnight mass was a large part of your family’s tradition, your elderly loved one may not be able to participate in that. Check to see if there is an earlier service that fits more with her alert and cognizant times. 

You might also need to shorten up festivities or plan on having her only participate in some aspects. Extremely loud and crowded environments could cause your loved one a lot of stress and agitate her to a point that she can no longer enjoy the day. 

Food options may need to be more varied. While a rack of lamb is very celebratory, your loved one may not be able to enjoy it. Additional items that are safe and enjoyable for her to eat should be added to the menu for the day. 

Ask for Help

Don’t try to do all of the caretaking during your special holiday gathering. If your loved one needs constant supervision, ask family or friends to take shifts during the gathering. Another great option is having a senior home care provider come along with you to the gathering to help your loved one. The senior home care provider can help her eat, use the facilities, and safely navigate an unfamiliar environment. In addition, if your loved one has a close relationship with her senior home care provider, she’ll have a person she’ll trust to help her, and you can enjoy more of the festivities. 

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Senior Home Care in Marina Del Ray, CA, please call Mom's Home Care and talk to our friendly, knowledgeable staff. Our number is 323-244-4789.