Tips for Maintaining the Holiday Spirit with Alzheimer’s in the House - Encore

As we head into the holiday season—a period filled with unique stressors and deeper family interactions—we’re revisiting this encore episode. Its insights remain as impactful and timely as when it originally aired.

The Holiday Season is that special time of year for us to celebrate with our family and friends through sharing precious time together and creating lifelong memories. Many families struggle with the decision as to whether to include a loved one who is living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. Lisa discusses how you can make this difficult decision and how to create a positive experience for everyone.  

Don’t miss this very important episode! Some of the highlights include:

• What you need to consider if you are thinking about including your loved one in your festivities .
• Tips to creating a safe, peaceful and positive environment for all guests, including a family member with dementia .
• Useful recommendations from the Mayo Clinic on preparation, planning, decorating, and celebrating.
• And much, much, more.

About the Host:

Author Lisa Skinner is a behavioral specialist with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. In her 30+year career working with family members and caregivers, Lisa has taught them how to successfully navigate the many challenges that accompany this heartbreaking disease. Lisa is both a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is also a certified dementia care trainer through the Alzheimer’s Association. She also holds a degree in Human Behavior.

Her latest book, “Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s – Its Secret Faces” continues Lisa’s quest of working with dementia-related illnesses and teaching families and caregivers how to better understand the daunting challenges of brain disease. Her #1 Best-seller book “Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost,” was written at their urging. As someone who has had eight family members diagnosed with dementia, Lisa Skinner has found her calling in helping others through the struggle so they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones through education and through her workshops on counter-intuitive solutions and tools to help people effectively manage the symptoms of brain disease. Lisa Skinner has appeared on many national and regional media broadcasts. Lisa helps explain behaviors caused by dementia, encourages those who feel burdened, and gives practical advice for how to respond.

So many people today are heavily impacted by Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. The Alzheimer's Association and the World Health Organization have projected that the number of people who will develop Alzheimer's disease by the year 2050 worldwide will triple if a treatment or cure is not found. Society is not prepared to care for the projected increase of people who will develop this devastating disease. In her 30 years of working with family members and caregivers who suffer from dementia, Lisa has recognized how little people really understand the complexities of what living with this disease is really like. For Lisa, it starts with knowledge, education, and training.

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Episode Transcript

Lisa Skinner (00:00):
Hello everybody. Welcome to another new episode
of the truth lies andAlzheimer's show with me, your
host, Lisa Skinner, and today,because this is holiday season
and Christmas is right aroundthe corner, I want to share some

(00:21):
tips, recommendations and advicefor everybody, if you are
thinking about including yourloved one who is living with
Alzheimer's disease and relateddementia in your festivities,
because we all know that theholiday season is that special

(00:42):
time of year for us to celebratewith our family and friends
through sharing and laughter andcreating lifelong memories, but
getting everything done On time,as we all know, can be extremely
hectic. Many families strugglewith the decision as to whether

(01:07):
to include a loved one who isliving with Alzheimer's disease
and dementia in the festivities.They ask themselves and torment
themselves with the question, isthis a good idea to bring them
along, to bring them over to myhome, or am I really setting

(01:28):
myself up for a potentialdisaster? Now, a person living
with Alzheimer's disease willoften feel a special sense of
loss because of the changes intheir behavior due to the
disease, families and caregiverssometimes feel overwhelmed by
trying to balance themaintaining of traditions with

(01:52):
the stress of caregiving. To me,having counseled 1000s of
families over the last 30 years,I have found that it's not only
a difficult decision to make,but it's also a very difficult
question to answer, and I thinkthat we have to kind of look at

(02:14):
it on a case by case basis,because every person living with
dementia experiences the diseasedifferently. So we really need
to take into consideration howthe disease is impacting your
loved one and how a change intheir environment might affect

(02:38):
their personality and theirmoods. The holiday season can
also cause the mixed feelingsfor a family affected by
Alzheimer's disease or dementia,while typically a time for
celebration, families mayexperience a sense of loss for
the way things used to be andfor caregivers, the holidays may

(03:02):
create added work that requiresextra planning, extra
preparation and carefulcommunication in consideration
of the needs of a loved One withdementia during holiday
decorating and gatherings. Butholidays can also be enriching

(03:26):
times for both you and yourloved ones diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease, as well asfamily and caregivers and
friends and relatives. Familytraditions provide a feeling of
belonging and identity. It's alink with a familiar past that

(03:48):
can be quite reassuring for aperson living with Alzheimer's
disease. However, holidaycelebrations, which may include
a mixture of other people cancause confusion and anxiety for
people living with Alzheimer's,some situations may be easier

(04:11):
and more pleasurable thanothers, so it's all about
finding balance in the busyholiday activities with the
special care that will berequired for your loved one
coping with the symptoms ofAlzheimer's disease. So here are
some tips most people livingwith dementia, and we've talked

(04:36):
about this many, many, manytimes over the course of truth,
lies and Alzheimer's, they dobetter with routines and with
familiarity. So here's a tip,keep them in familiar locations
that are free of noise, that'sfree of being hectic. That has

(05:00):
too much clutter and will causethem to feel stress. An overload
of stimulation can triggeremotions that can escalate into
a potential catastrophicreaction that you might not be

(05:21):
able to manage other tips forcoping with the holidays and
Alzheimer's disease couldinclude determining what stage
your loved one is in in theprogression of the disease. Now,
if your loved one is in theearly stages of their disease,
it's often much easier for themto cope with a change in their

(05:45):
environment versus a person inthe mid to later stage of the
disease. As the diseaseprogresses, the person living
with dementia becomes more andmore confused and less able to
understand what is happeningaround them. They can also
become easily agitated and orfrightened in a world that no

(06:10):
longer makes sense to them, andthey may rely on their instincts
of fight or flight as a responseto these surroundings. So if you
decide to include your lovedone, you may want to limit the
amount of time they visit withthe family. If you notice any

(06:32):
changes in their demeanor, suchas, they all of a sudden become
nervous. They're full ofanxiety. They become irritable,
or a sudden change in theirlevel of confusion. Those are
telltale signs that they are notcoping well with their current

(06:53):
environment. You can also payclose attention to their body
language and demeanor todetermine if they are
increasingly becoming upset, youshould have a dedicated family
member or caregiver be with yourloved one at all times during

(07:14):
this festive occasion to watchfor signs of distress and to
keep reassuring them that theyare safe and that you will be
taking them home shortly. Also,what I have found is that you
need to take charge and set yourown limits. Be clear about them

(07:39):
with others. You do not have tolive up to the expectations of
anybody of your friends or yourfamily, and as a caregiver,
understand your situation isvery different. Now you need to
find time for the holidayactivities that you like to do,

(08:00):
like taking a walk in theneighborhood to see the holiday
decorations, or baking cookies.Taking care of the caregivers is
also a very important way for usto celebrate the holidays. Some
additional tips that you'll findhelpful to be mindful of if you

(08:23):
are including your loved one inyour holiday celebrations, this
can be a wonderful way for us tocreate meaningful memories, even
as they navigate The challengesof Alzheimer's disease. So keep
it simple. Opt for a calm andcozy environment. Large

(08:46):
gatherings, and I can'tunderstate this or loud noises
can and will be overwhelming.Smaller gatherings may be more
appropriate for your situation.If possible, bring your loved
one to familiar spaces wherethey may feel comfortable,

(09:07):
because this will help reducetheir anxiety and confusion.
Choose a time of the day whenthey are usually more alert and
less fatigued. For many thismight be mid morning or early
afternoon, engage in theirsenses. Use familiar sense like

(09:32):
the aromas of holiday foods,music that they would recognize
and identify with decorationsthat may evoke positive
memories. This can help themfeel connected to the
celebration. Keep conversationswith everybody who is in

(09:55):
attendance. Simple. This is veryimportant. Engage in light, easy
conversations, avoid complextopics that may confuse your
loved one, share happy memoriesor stories from their past and
involve them in the activities,simple activities like

(10:17):
decorating cookies, foldingnapkins or looking through photo
albums can help your loved onefeel included without it being
overwhelming to them. And I wantyou to prepare for confusion by
being patient and ready toreassure them that if they do

(10:40):
become confused and anxious,you'll have a quiet space where
they can take a break. This mayhelp diffuse that situation and
limit the duration. Don't keepyour loved one there too long. A
couple of hours may besufficient, allowing them to

(11:01):
enjoy the moment withoutbecoming fatigued. When you live
with dementia, you lose sense oftiming. So five minutes could
seem like five days to somebodywith dementia. So just that's a
little bit of an exaggeration,but they do tire easily and
become bored easily and becomeanxious easily. If you're

(11:25):
bringing your loved one homefrom a care facility, make sure
you inform the staff about yourplans. They could give you
insights or suggestions based onher recent behaviors and needs,
and then prioritize theirsafety. Always ensure that the

(11:50):
environment is safe and freefrom hazards, and also consider
any dietary restrictions andensure their comfort. Try to
capture the moment. Take photosor videos to help create lasting
memories, not just for yourloved one, but for the family as
well. Always, be flexible. Beprepared to adapt your plans

(12:15):
based on your loved one's moodand behavior. If they seem
overwhelmed, it's okay to cutthe visit short. And then here's
some tips, usefulrecommendations from the Mayo
Clinic. In mind for holidayseason during preparation,

(12:37):
planning, decorating andcelebrating by creating an
appropriate environment duringthe holidays for the person with
dementia, you will create a safeand calming space. So one with a
ways to do that is to tone downthe decorations, avoid blinking

(12:58):
lights or large decorativedisplays that can cause
confusion. Avoid decorationsthat cause clutter or require
you to rearrange a familiarroom. Substitute electric
candles for burning candles. Ifyou light candles, please don't

(13:18):
leave them unattended. Avoidfragile decorations, or
decorations that could bemistaken for edible treats, such
as artificial fruits, and if youhave a tree, secure it to a
wall. And then this is somethingthat is really helpful to play

(13:39):
familiar music, familiar orfavorite holiday music may be
extremely enjoyable for peopleliving with dementia. It can
trigger wonderful memories. Someof them might even remember the
lyrics to the songs from theirpast, but in adjust the volume

(14:01):
so it's relaxing and notoverwhelming and causing
distress. Finally, by beingmindful of your loved one's
condition and creating asupportive environment, you can
help your loved one enjoy theholiday season while also making

(14:26):
meaningful memories with yourfamily that will last you your
lifetime. So those are theholiday tips that I have for you
this holiday season. Thank youfor joining me here on the truth
lies and Alzheimer's show. I'mLisa Skinner, your host, and I
will be back next Tuesday withanother new episode of the truth

(14:50):
lies and Alzheimer's show. And Ihope you all have a wonderful,
happy and healthy week till nexttime see you then. Bye, bye.