October 22, 2020 • 17 mins
The pumpkin obsession has begun, but this holiday's monster mash may wreak havoc with your dementia impairments. Join us on Dementia Real Talk as we discuss ways to tame the "BOOS" this Halloween!
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
The pumpkin obsession has begun, but this holiday's monster mash
may rink havoc with your dementia impairments. Join us on
Dementia Real Talk as we discuss ways to tame the
booze this Halloween.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome to Dementia Real Talk by Karen Thrive, a podcast
to help you navigate life with dementia, presented by Blair Pharmacy.
Whether you're living with dementia or a care partner for
someone with dementia, join us to learn more about what
to expect and practical approaches to adapt your world to thrive.
Now welcome our hosts, Jerry Young and certified dementia practitioner
(00:45):
and trainer Judy Pritchard.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
He did the moongs tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It was a grave.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Ello. Jerry, Hey, Judy, you do it.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I'm scared to death. Halloween's always scared me since I.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Was a little kid. Really, it is my favorite time
of the year.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
No, I just I don't go to haunted houses and
all that stuff because.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
It's not your thing. Huh. No, it has always been
my thing. In fact, my first date with my husband
was a pretty scary.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
That's pretty scary.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Well, because that it was to a costume party for Halloween.
So we've always celebrated Halloween big time. So do you
get into decorations do you and your wife? No, not
at all.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
No. I mean I love trick or treating and I
like seeing all the kids in the neighborhood and all
that stuff. Don't get me wrong. Yeah, No, I just
never had really gotten into it. And I think when
I was a teenager, I got carried through a haunted house.
My mother actually, who had dementia, asked me to be
She was in the hospital auxiliary coh and asked me
to participate in be part of the haunted house that
(01:55):
they put on every year in the community.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Oh that sounds like fun.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
It wasn't. I'm going to tell you what I had
to do, Okay, what you have to do to lay
in a casket?
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Oh gosh.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
And when they brought the next group into the room,
they would tell, you know, all about me and how
I must have been a vampire or something, and I
would raise up, oh gosh, and everybody try to you know.
So no, it was not a fun time for me. Sorry.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Well, we always decorate to the hilt, and so what
we want to talk about today is Halloween. May or
may not be your thing, but we really want to
bring to light things to watch out for during the holidays.
If you're living with dementia, or if you are a
care partner or have a family member with dementia, it
could not be a great situation for them that you
(02:44):
may just have to take some extra precautions.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, decorations and doorbells ringing and lights flashing sometimes not
the perfect platform or or ideal situation for someone living
with dementia. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Do you remember how your mom was during the Yeah,
very unnerved when the doorbell kept ringing. Yeah, but we
did live in a great neighborhood, and so when we
turned the light out, you know as a route, it stopped.
But at first we didn't realize what it was doing
and how much it was bothering her. Even though we
thought that kids coming to the door and ill would
be a fun thing, but it turned out to be
(03:19):
the opposite.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah. You know, even in the early stages, or if
you have young onset dementia, as you're more tired, or
if things are just not like you're used to them
being in a routine, it can really cause you to
have some other problems throughout the night, and even with
you know us, and we've live in a neighborhood that
(03:42):
has tons of kids to come through and as much
of a fanatic as I am about the holiday throughout
the night, having that doorbell ring time after time after time,
it causes anxiety on anybody.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah, I remember one thing that really affected my mom.
On top of the fireplace where the brick came out,
right on top of the fireplace, there was a stone
and I know there's a word for that piece of yes, yes,
well it had not carvings in it, but it was
a rock like a piece of slate that had little
grooves in it. And so she thought that one of
(04:15):
the masks that she had seen at the door was
in that, and she couldn't get her mind off of that.
So sitting in that room with that fireplace, it was
constantly like she was trying to compare it with the
front door and that, and so, you know, we realized
then that was not a good idea.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah. Absolutely. So one of the things we've talked about
before is the visual perception problems that dementia may cause
people to have, so not necessarily that their visual acuity
or they can't see very well. But it's more about
how the mind is processing what you're seeing. And that
sounds like what may have been happening with your mom,
(04:51):
and so for some reason she saw something that wasn't normal.
You know, let's face it, having people come to your
door ringing the doorbell when you're not expecting them, and
then they're in a mask or a costume, it can
really set you off course, and so she was carrying
that through. So visual perception problems really can be difficult
around decorations, around light changes, especially if you have blinking
(05:17):
lights or strobe lights or Halloween in particular. You know,
you usually don't have a lot of bright lights on
and so your vision's already going to be impacted just
from that.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I think as much as that in my situation was
was the loud noises, you know, the neighbors that had
the screams going on on speakers out in their front
yard and that sort of thing. So the noise, especially
that particular scream, you know, like every time you walk by,
it trip the little thing up the sidewalk, and it
made the neighbors, you know, speakers come on where you know,
(05:51):
I won't try to impersonate scream, but you know what
I'm talking about.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah, So the sound effects that could happen, a little
motion activated figurines that people may or statues they may
have in their yards, coupled with the lights that all
impacts their sensory inputs completely differently than what you or
I may have. And again it's not something they're choosing
(06:17):
to do. It's their brain changing that's actually causing this
to be a problem for them. So, you know, going
back to the visual perception problems, if there's a lot
of dark things that are all of a sudden around
your house, it could look to be more like holes
or openings happening. Because again, as they're tired, which trick
(06:37):
or tread always happens at night, are typically at night,
then they're going to have that fatigue normally that they're
going through, and then everything's out of sync, everything's off
the routine. You're having other noises, you're having weird lights,
you have weird decorations around, and it really may manifest
itself in your brain. If you're living with dementia, as
(07:00):
something's wrong here, and it may cause you to have
paranoid episodes to where you're seeing things as being real
and you're not able to decipher what's real and what's
not real. So it's really it really can.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Be problematic hallucinations too. And I think, going back to
my story about my mom, what she saw in that
in that header of that fireplace was basically an hallucination.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Absolutely. So again, if you have scary things around your
house and they're already confused a little bit, even if
it's somebody in the early stages, it still may cause
their brain still may have changes happening that are causing
tricks to them that they can't really understand what that is.
And then you add to it all the fancy decorations
(07:44):
that are out there now that use the video screens
that it looks like there's illusions of ghosts or skeletons
dancing around. And you can just imagine how with somebody
just being slightly in the stages of dementia, how that
can really cause confusion, concern, and anxiety and even fear.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
And it I can also last for days. It's just
not that night or that next morning. It can it
can have a real profound effect because it plays tricks.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
On your mind.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Yeah, absolutely, so that's something to keep in mind too,
because you may if you're new, especially to living with
someone with dementia, or you yourself are new living with dementia,
you may not realize days later, while you seem to
be a little more agitated, or you seem to be
a little more have a little more mental fog or confusion,
it's the lasting effect that these these this intensive stimulation
(08:38):
to your brain has had during this holiday. And then
you look at somebody who's living on their own, and
you can just imagine if you're living on your own,
you're in your early stages, doing well for all intents
and purposes, but then everything's thrown off because it's Halloween,
and all of a sudden, somebody's ringing your doorbell every
two minutes and it is a nerd.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Okay, so we know that the problem exists. Let's talk
about ways we can affoid it.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Yeah, let's go. Let's all right, So we love Halloween.
We don't want to stop doing Halloween, so maybe just
I do in our household.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
We don't want to stop, but I'll stop by you good.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
I always have good care, that deal. Absolutely. So what
you can do, though, is just look at what decorations
you typically put out for go the dark illusions, the
video screens, the things that would cause the visual acuity
(09:38):
to change because it's just not as bright and light.
And be careful what you're putting on the floor because remember,
as dementia progresses, the field, the visual field starts to shorten,
so it's going to be more difficult for them to
see obstacles that are not typically part of their normal
environment and landscape. And so you want to make sure
that anything you're putting down low is something that is
(10:01):
in a place where they wouldn't be their normal path,
that they wouldn't normally walk there. And then maybe go
towards more fall decorations, more just pumpkins and fall flowers
and haybales and things like that. Put those around, and
maybe not use the skeletons and the things that are
more scary, and just talk about it and watch your
(10:23):
loved one and for yourself living with dementia, watch yourself
and be aware, have that awareness of just not feeling
quite myself And maybe it could be because the decorations
are just too much stimulation for you right now.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Yeah, And also you know, like the changing routine itself,
you know, just the fact that the decorations are different
on that day. Are the sounds are different in the doorbell?
Of course different, But it's the routine that it throws
off too, that you work so hard to get to
that routine a lot of times that totally misses it up.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yeah, So plans something for that evening that's not going
to put you in the middle of it. Plan something
where you and your loved one can go out back,
maybe and have a little fire in your fire pit
and where you're not going to hear the doorbell ringing.
Or maybe if you have a den in your basement,
go down there and watch a happy movie. Just do
something that's a normal part of your process of your
(11:21):
daily living and activities, but do it away from all
of the chaos that's happening outside with trick or treat.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
All right, we've talked about other ways. But you can
sit out front, for example, if you want to, and
like you know, if you're go downstairs and watch a movie.
But if you feel like you have to participate, want
to stop the doorbell ringing, get a chair, get a
bowl of candy, and sit out on the front porch
and hand it out. And that way you don't hear
(11:50):
the doorbell ringing in the house.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Absolutely, So it doesn't mean that don't participate. So talk
with your loved one who's living with dementia and just
sit down and talk about the whole holiday coming. Pick
a time when they're in a great place and just
talk about it. Hey, how do you feel about the holiday?
Are you okay with the decorations? Do you want to
sit outside? And if there you know, for me, if
(12:12):
that's my situation, I'd want to be outside in the
middle of it. So just go outside and avoid the
doorbell ringing. That constant, annoying sound of a doorbell ringing
throughout the night when it's unexpected, just so much more anxiety.
So avoid all that together. Now, granted with COVID, you're
kind of already set up for that, because I think
a lot of trick or treats, if they happen, will
(12:33):
be more outside. Here's a candy bull help yourself or
or goodie bags more likely.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Along with the sign maybe and Karen Thrive Foundation has
come up with a great idea of where we just
you know, put a circle through the pumpkin and say please,
no trick or treat? Do you to health issues? And
put that by the bowl so that people know why
the bull's sitting out there, number one and why you
don't want to ring in the doorbell.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Yeah. So I actually borrowed this idea from our friends
in the UK and there are some groups over there
that actually have posters create it and in their communities
they actually have pumpkins that people put on their homes
for yes, they want trick or treaters or other posters
that they put up that please do not trick or treat.
So we create it one and it's free on our
(13:20):
It's downloadable from our website and feel free to make
as many copies as you like share with your friends.
But you can put it up, put it on your mailbox,
put it on, cover your doorbell with it, and all
it simply says is please do not trick or treat
due to health issues. You don't have to go into specifics,
but this will eliminate, hopefully it'll eliminate the doorbell rings,
(13:42):
the knocks on the doors, and it will help bring
a sense of calm. Also, if you're comfortable with us,
talk to your neighbors, share your story with your neighbors
and that this is why we're really not participating, and
please respect our needs here and our wishes here. And
I find it hard to believe that you have anybody
that wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Hi Judy Public service announcement. You say, it's a great
time to remind every one of what So.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Basically we've talked about this before too. When you're diagnosed
with dementia, it's a great idea to notify your local
emergency responders. So usually the police departments and the fire
departments will keep a registry going so that they know
either you're living with dementia or a loved one is
living with you that has dementia, and that way, when
(14:28):
they respond to a call in your home or in
the area, they're hopefully trained on how to approach somebody
that's living with dementia, maybe going through some elevated confusion,
and they're ready. So make sure you do this, especially
before a holiday. Let them know about your situation, let
them know about your diagnosis if you have it, and
(14:49):
then that way, if something happens that we hope doesn't,
but if you get a confusion episode or that blip
happens where all of the sounds and the sights and
the life are really caused you to have an increase
confusion and maybe you're wandering or maybe you get lost
or something like that. They're already aware and they're ready
(15:10):
to respond appropriately to help you, all right.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Karen Thrive Foundation. By the way, I want to remind
you how you can reach us as karinthrive dot org
is the main way on our website, you can also
call eight eight eight seven three three one four two two.
We're discussing ways to avoid confusion and problems due to
this particular holiday, which is Halloween. And of course every
(15:33):
holiday with different, different decorations and everything else can still
cause some problems, but not as much as the screaming
and the skeletons and so forth on Halloween.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Yeah, so don't go. Don't go for the really scary
Stephen King movies. Go for something a little lighthearted and
more of a favorite fan of your loved ones or yourself.
And just remember, if you need any help with strategies
to live your life with dementia, particularly young onset dementia,
give us a call or find us on our website
Karenthrive dot org. Thanks everybody, thrive on.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
When caring for your family, your local pharmacy should be
an important part of your team. Blair Pharmacy in Alabaster
is a family owned full service pharmacy giving its clients personalized,
accurate service. They offer services like Nedpack, Flavor RX, and
free delivery. Kim and Daniel Blair are members of the
community and are here for you and your family. They
offer everyday items you would find in the big box stores,
(16:26):
but also support local vendors by offering unique handcrafted items.
Blair Pharmacy a full service pharmacy caring for each of
our patients individual needs. Www dot Blair dash Pharmacy dot com.
Thanks for listening and be sure to follow us on
Facebook at Karenthrive and visit our website www dot Karnthrive
(16:48):
dot org. Subscribe to this podcast through your favorite podcasting platform.
This podcast is produced by your podcast now dot com.
Let us produce a podcast for you. The purpose of
this podcast is to educate into and forem.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
It is not a substitute for professional care by a
doctor or other qualified medical professionals.
The pumpkin obsession has begun, but this holiday's monster mash
may rink havoc with your dementia impairments. Join us on
Dementia Real Talk as we discuss ways to tame the
booze this Halloween.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome to Dementia Real Talk by Karen Thrive, a podcast
to help you navigate life with dementia, presented by Blair Pharmacy.
Whether you're living with dementia or a care partner for
someone with dementia, join us to learn more about what
to expect and practical approaches to adapt your world to thrive.
Now welcome our hosts, Jerry Young and certified dementia practitioner
(00:45):
and trainer Judy Pritchard.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
He did the moongs tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It was a grave.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Ello. Jerry, Hey, Judy, you do it.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I'm scared to death. Halloween's always scared me since I.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Was a little kid. Really, it is my favorite time
of the year.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
No, I just I don't go to haunted houses and
all that stuff because.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
It's not your thing. Huh. No, it has always been
my thing. In fact, my first date with my husband
was a pretty scary.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
That's pretty scary.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Well, because that it was to a costume party for Halloween.
So we've always celebrated Halloween big time. So do you
get into decorations do you and your wife? No, not
at all.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
No. I mean I love trick or treating and I
like seeing all the kids in the neighborhood and all
that stuff. Don't get me wrong. Yeah, No, I just
never had really gotten into it. And I think when
I was a teenager, I got carried through a haunted house.
My mother actually, who had dementia, asked me to be
She was in the hospital auxiliary coh and asked me
to participate in be part of the haunted house that
(01:55):
they put on every year in the community.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Oh that sounds like fun.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
It wasn't. I'm going to tell you what I had
to do, Okay, what you have to do to lay
in a casket?
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Oh gosh.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
And when they brought the next group into the room,
they would tell, you know, all about me and how
I must have been a vampire or something, and I
would raise up, oh gosh, and everybody try to you know.
So no, it was not a fun time for me. Sorry.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Well, we always decorate to the hilt, and so what
we want to talk about today is Halloween. May or
may not be your thing, but we really want to
bring to light things to watch out for during the holidays.
If you're living with dementia, or if you are a
care partner or have a family member with dementia, it
could not be a great situation for them that you
(02:44):
may just have to take some extra precautions.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, decorations and doorbells ringing and lights flashing sometimes not
the perfect platform or or ideal situation for someone living
with dementia. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Do you remember how your mom was during the Yeah,
very unnerved when the doorbell kept ringing. Yeah, but we
did live in a great neighborhood, and so when we
turned the light out, you know as a route, it stopped.
But at first we didn't realize what it was doing
and how much it was bothering her. Even though we
thought that kids coming to the door and ill would
be a fun thing, but it turned out to be
(03:19):
the opposite.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah. You know, even in the early stages, or if
you have young onset dementia, as you're more tired, or
if things are just not like you're used to them
being in a routine, it can really cause you to
have some other problems throughout the night, and even with
you know us, and we've live in a neighborhood that
(03:42):
has tons of kids to come through and as much
of a fanatic as I am about the holiday throughout
the night, having that doorbell ring time after time after time,
it causes anxiety on anybody.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah, I remember one thing that really affected my mom.
On top of the fireplace where the brick came out,
right on top of the fireplace, there was a stone
and I know there's a word for that piece of yes, yes,
well it had not carvings in it, but it was
a rock like a piece of slate that had little
grooves in it. And so she thought that one of
(04:15):
the masks that she had seen at the door was
in that, and she couldn't get her mind off of that.
So sitting in that room with that fireplace, it was
constantly like she was trying to compare it with the
front door and that, and so, you know, we realized
then that was not a good idea.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah. Absolutely. So one of the things we've talked about
before is the visual perception problems that dementia may cause
people to have, so not necessarily that their visual acuity
or they can't see very well. But it's more about
how the mind is processing what you're seeing. And that
sounds like what may have been happening with your mom,
(04:51):
and so for some reason she saw something that wasn't normal.
You know, let's face it, having people come to your
door ringing the doorbell when you're not expecting them, and
then they're in a mask or a costume, it can
really set you off course, and so she was carrying
that through. So visual perception problems really can be difficult
around decorations, around light changes, especially if you have blinking
(05:17):
lights or strobe lights or Halloween in particular. You know,
you usually don't have a lot of bright lights on
and so your vision's already going to be impacted just
from that.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I think as much as that in my situation was
was the loud noises, you know, the neighbors that had
the screams going on on speakers out in their front
yard and that sort of thing. So the noise, especially
that particular scream, you know, like every time you walk by,
it trip the little thing up the sidewalk, and it
made the neighbors, you know, speakers come on where you know,
(05:51):
I won't try to impersonate scream, but you know what
I'm talking about.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah, So the sound effects that could happen, a little
motion activated figurines that people may or statues they may
have in their yards, coupled with the lights that all
impacts their sensory inputs completely differently than what you or
I may have. And again it's not something they're choosing
(06:17):
to do. It's their brain changing that's actually causing this
to be a problem for them. So, you know, going
back to the visual perception problems, if there's a lot
of dark things that are all of a sudden around
your house, it could look to be more like holes
or openings happening. Because again, as they're tired, which trick
(06:37):
or tread always happens at night, are typically at night,
then they're going to have that fatigue normally that they're
going through, and then everything's out of sync, everything's off
the routine. You're having other noises, you're having weird lights,
you have weird decorations around, and it really may manifest
itself in your brain. If you're living with dementia, as
(07:00):
something's wrong here, and it may cause you to have
paranoid episodes to where you're seeing things as being real
and you're not able to decipher what's real and what's
not real. So it's really it really can.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Be problematic hallucinations too. And I think, going back to
my story about my mom, what she saw in that
in that header of that fireplace was basically an hallucination.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Absolutely. So again, if you have scary things around your
house and they're already confused a little bit, even if
it's somebody in the early stages, it still may cause
their brain still may have changes happening that are causing
tricks to them that they can't really understand what that is.
And then you add to it all the fancy decorations
(07:44):
that are out there now that use the video screens
that it looks like there's illusions of ghosts or skeletons
dancing around. And you can just imagine how with somebody
just being slightly in the stages of dementia, how that
can really cause confusion, concern, and anxiety and even fear.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
And it I can also last for days. It's just
not that night or that next morning. It can it
can have a real profound effect because it plays tricks.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
On your mind.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Yeah, absolutely, so that's something to keep in mind too,
because you may if you're new, especially to living with
someone with dementia, or you yourself are new living with dementia,
you may not realize days later, while you seem to
be a little more agitated, or you seem to be
a little more have a little more mental fog or confusion,
it's the lasting effect that these these this intensive stimulation
(08:38):
to your brain has had during this holiday. And then
you look at somebody who's living on their own, and
you can just imagine if you're living on your own,
you're in your early stages, doing well for all intents
and purposes, but then everything's thrown off because it's Halloween,
and all of a sudden, somebody's ringing your doorbell every
two minutes and it is a nerd.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Okay, so we know that the problem exists. Let's talk
about ways we can affoid it.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Yeah, let's go. Let's all right, So we love Halloween.
We don't want to stop doing Halloween, so maybe just
I do in our household.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
We don't want to stop, but I'll stop by you good.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
I always have good care, that deal. Absolutely. So what
you can do, though, is just look at what decorations
you typically put out for go the dark illusions, the
video screens, the things that would cause the visual acuity
(09:38):
to change because it's just not as bright and light.
And be careful what you're putting on the floor because remember,
as dementia progresses, the field, the visual field starts to shorten,
so it's going to be more difficult for them to
see obstacles that are not typically part of their normal
environment and landscape. And so you want to make sure
that anything you're putting down low is something that is
(10:01):
in a place where they wouldn't be their normal path,
that they wouldn't normally walk there. And then maybe go
towards more fall decorations, more just pumpkins and fall flowers
and haybales and things like that. Put those around, and
maybe not use the skeletons and the things that are
more scary, and just talk about it and watch your
(10:23):
loved one and for yourself living with dementia, watch yourself
and be aware, have that awareness of just not feeling
quite myself And maybe it could be because the decorations
are just too much stimulation for you right now.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Yeah, And also you know, like the changing routine itself,
you know, just the fact that the decorations are different
on that day. Are the sounds are different in the doorbell?
Of course different, But it's the routine that it throws
off too, that you work so hard to get to
that routine a lot of times that totally misses it up.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yeah, So plans something for that evening that's not going
to put you in the middle of it. Plan something
where you and your loved one can go out back,
maybe and have a little fire in your fire pit
and where you're not going to hear the doorbell ringing.
Or maybe if you have a den in your basement,
go down there and watch a happy movie. Just do
something that's a normal part of your process of your
(11:21):
daily living and activities, but do it away from all
of the chaos that's happening outside with trick or treat.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
All right, we've talked about other ways. But you can
sit out front, for example, if you want to, and
like you know, if you're go downstairs and watch a movie.
But if you feel like you have to participate, want
to stop the doorbell ringing, get a chair, get a
bowl of candy, and sit out on the front porch
and hand it out. And that way you don't hear
(11:50):
the doorbell ringing in the house.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Absolutely, So it doesn't mean that don't participate. So talk
with your loved one who's living with dementia and just
sit down and talk about the whole holiday coming. Pick
a time when they're in a great place and just
talk about it. Hey, how do you feel about the holiday?
Are you okay with the decorations? Do you want to
sit outside? And if there you know, for me, if
(12:12):
that's my situation, I'd want to be outside in the
middle of it. So just go outside and avoid the
doorbell ringing. That constant, annoying sound of a doorbell ringing
throughout the night when it's unexpected, just so much more anxiety.
So avoid all that together. Now, granted with COVID, you're
kind of already set up for that, because I think
a lot of trick or treats, if they happen, will
(12:33):
be more outside. Here's a candy bull help yourself or
or goodie bags more likely.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Along with the sign maybe and Karen Thrive Foundation has
come up with a great idea of where we just
you know, put a circle through the pumpkin and say please,
no trick or treat? Do you to health issues? And
put that by the bowl so that people know why
the bull's sitting out there, number one and why you
don't want to ring in the doorbell.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Yeah. So I actually borrowed this idea from our friends
in the UK and there are some groups over there
that actually have posters create it and in their communities
they actually have pumpkins that people put on their homes
for yes, they want trick or treaters or other posters
that they put up that please do not trick or treat.
So we create it one and it's free on our
(13:20):
It's downloadable from our website and feel free to make
as many copies as you like share with your friends.
But you can put it up, put it on your mailbox,
put it on, cover your doorbell with it, and all
it simply says is please do not trick or treat
due to health issues. You don't have to go into specifics,
but this will eliminate, hopefully it'll eliminate the doorbell rings,
(13:42):
the knocks on the doors, and it will help bring
a sense of calm. Also, if you're comfortable with us,
talk to your neighbors, share your story with your neighbors
and that this is why we're really not participating, and
please respect our needs here and our wishes here. And
I find it hard to believe that you have anybody
that wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Hi Judy Public service announcement. You say, it's a great
time to remind every one of what So.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Basically we've talked about this before too. When you're diagnosed
with dementia, it's a great idea to notify your local
emergency responders. So usually the police departments and the fire
departments will keep a registry going so that they know
either you're living with dementia or a loved one is
living with you that has dementia, and that way, when
(14:28):
they respond to a call in your home or in
the area, they're hopefully trained on how to approach somebody
that's living with dementia, maybe going through some elevated confusion,
and they're ready. So make sure you do this, especially
before a holiday. Let them know about your situation, let
them know about your diagnosis if you have it, and
(14:49):
then that way, if something happens that we hope doesn't,
but if you get a confusion episode or that blip
happens where all of the sounds and the sights and
the life are really caused you to have an increase
confusion and maybe you're wandering or maybe you get lost
or something like that. They're already aware and they're ready
(15:10):
to respond appropriately to help you, all right.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Karen Thrive Foundation. By the way, I want to remind
you how you can reach us as karinthrive dot org
is the main way on our website, you can also
call eight eight eight seven three three one four two two.
We're discussing ways to avoid confusion and problems due to
this particular holiday, which is Halloween. And of course every
(15:33):
holiday with different, different decorations and everything else can still
cause some problems, but not as much as the screaming
and the skeletons and so forth on Halloween.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Yeah, so don't go. Don't go for the really scary
Stephen King movies. Go for something a little lighthearted and
more of a favorite fan of your loved ones or yourself.
And just remember, if you need any help with strategies
to live your life with dementia, particularly young onset dementia,
give us a call or find us on our website
Karenthrive dot org. Thanks everybody, thrive on.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
When caring for your family, your local pharmacy should be
an important part of your team. Blair Pharmacy in Alabaster
is a family owned full service pharmacy giving its clients personalized,
accurate service. They offer services like Nedpack, Flavor RX, and
free delivery. Kim and Daniel Blair are members of the
community and are here for you and your family. They
offer everyday items you would find in the big box stores,
(16:26):
but also support local vendors by offering unique handcrafted items.
Blair Pharmacy a full service pharmacy caring for each of
our patients individual needs. Www dot Blair dash Pharmacy dot com.
Thanks for listening and be sure to follow us on
Facebook at Karenthrive and visit our website www dot Karnthrive
(16:48):
dot org. Subscribe to this podcast through your favorite podcasting platform.
This podcast is produced by your podcast now dot com.
Let us produce a podcast for you. The purpose of
this podcast is to educate into and forem.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
It is not a substitute for professional care by a
doctor or other qualified medical professionals.
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