Happy Thanksgiving! Today, we’re thankful to have you listening. SO, we’re giving out some great information!
For most families, the holiday season is filled with opportunities for togetherness, sharing, laughter, tenderness, and memories; but, holidays can also be filled with stress, disappointment, and sadness.
Alzheimer’s disease can bring an unbearable sense of loss to a patient and their family during the holidays. Keeping loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia happy, involved, and in touch with family and friends during the season is often difficult yet vitally important .
Caregivers can also become overwhelmed with the void left by the loved one’s inability to participate or respond to familiar places, people, or traditions, and their concern for the safety of their loved ones is often the primary worry during the holidays.
Each year, the month of November is used to further the awareness, education, and research of Alzheimer’s. Nearly everyone has seen their life impacted by this dreaded disease – oftentimes watching a loved one suffer, and in many cases serving as the primary caregiver for a struggling spouse or parent.
The Alzheimer’s Association reports that more than six million people in the United States are living with the disease, which is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Symptoms eventually grow severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 – 80 percent of dementia cases.
But, Alzheimer’s is not just memory loss – it kills. The disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia; this complex neurological disease kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
To bring awareness to this illness, President Ronald Reagan first designated November as Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in 1983. That designation has continued since with every United States President declaring November as Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, urging the public to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, and to offer support to individuals living with it and their caregivers.
Over 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. These caregivers provided an estimated 15.3 billion hours valued at nearly $257 billion.
On this Thanksgiving, WACO 100 shares tips provided by the local Alzheimer’s Support Group; this list was created by the late Peggy Day, who started the support group in Washington County.
Before your loved one sees “non-everyday” faces in their personal environment, take some time to prepare the person with Alzheimer’s disease by doing the following:
– Look through a photo album together
– Talk about the pictures of those who will be guests at the festivities
– During the gathering, play your loved one’s favorite music
– Set aside a quiet, comforting space for your loved one, in case the gathering becomes overwhelming.
Before the festivities or feast, take a moment to discuss with friends and family that are visiting or hosting for Thanksgiving about the best way to communicate with someone with Alzheimer’s. There is a need to familiarize them with changes in behavior or deterioration of conditions so that there are not any emotional surprises during the day – for the patient or anyone else.
If a loved one is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, relatives and friends may not notice any changes, but the person living with dementia might have trouble following conversations or tend to repeat things. As the disease progresses, more significant changes in cognitive abilities that have occurred since their last interactions may be more jarring.
Make certain that friends and family understand that changes in behavior and memory are caused by the disease and not the person. People can help with communication by being tolerant, not interrupting or correcting, and giving the person time to finish his or her thoughts. If the Alzheimer’s patient cannot communicate clearly, simply respond to their tone.
Rather than saying, “do you remember when…,” to a loved one, be sure to say, “wasn’t it great when…” or “this year is just as great as the time when….” It may assist in jogging a person’s memory, and it will help prevent the Alzheimer’s patient from feeling uncomfortable that they have forgotten something that is special to you or your family.
If possible, ask your loved one to help you with meal preparations such as stirring dough or filling a pitcher of water so that they can feel useful. However, safety should always be the top priority.
The following are holiday tips to help loved ones and their caregivers during the Thanksgiving holiday:
– Make sure a loved one does not touch a hot stove or hot bowls.
– Keep sharp utensils out of sight and out of reach.
– Do not have bowls of hard candy on display. Protect loved ones from choking hazards.
– Have no loose rugs on the floor. These can be tripping hazards.
– Try to limit loud conversations; these can agitate the loved ones.
– Consider celebrating earlier in the day to work around sundowning, which is when a loved one with Alzheimer’s becomes more confused or agitated in the evenings.
For caregivers, adjust expectations and make sure that everyone understands your situation and the safety precautions that you are taking to help keep your loved one healthy.
Communicate realistic expectations to yourself and others about what you can and cannot do during the day. Sometimes this can create a sense of loss if you have to give up a longtime role, but think of it as a chance for another family member to start a new tradition.
Caregivers should also practice the overwhelming need for self-care. Remember that the holidays are opportunities to share time with people you love. Make these celebrations easy on yourself and for the person with Alzheimer’s disease so that you may concentrate on enjoying time together.
From your friends at WACO 100, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!