A home during Christmas is typically full of all kinds of festive traditions, from caroling with your neighbors to gingerbread houses with your family. Unfortunately, these traditions can become hazy with age, especially with terrible diseases like Alzheimer’s or dementia thrown into the mix.
Furthermore, if a loved one is now in a memory care facility due to these diseases, it can be hard for them to find joy away from home. But it doesn’t have to be.
While it may take a little work, here are a few ways you can love those in an assisted living facility this Christmas from the assisted living and memory care experts at Cavalier Senior Living.
Create New Traditions
While holiday traditions may differ from family to family, quality time with the ones you love is the center of every tradition. So, despite it looking a little different at an assisted living facility, now is the perfect time to reminisce over old photos, sing along to holiday music, or decorate their room with paper snowflakes.
Ultimately, spending time with those in memory care means more to them than we may know. As defined by Verywell Health, “some research has found that the positive feelings after a visit with someone living with dementia remain long past their memory of that particular visit”.
Simplification Over Overstimulation
Despite new traditions being an incredible way to love those in memory care well, it is important to not go overboard. Too many people, too much noise, and a flurry of activity can easily overstimulate someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
For example, instead of bringing all of the extended family to see your loved one, have a couple of smaller and more meaningful meetings to keep the visits simple and stress-free.
Preparations Make Great Activities
More than anything, those struggling with dementia can often feel helpless. So, why not let them help prepare everything you need for the busiest time of the year? By turning simple tasks into engaging time together, you can not only get a lot done but also spend valuable time with your loved one.
A few of these tasks could be:
- Wrapping presents
- Putting goody bags together
- Writing Christmas cards
- Making homemade gifts
- Creating a holiday schedule
Cavalier Senior Living – Alabama Memory Care Experts
Cavalier Senior Living currently offer assisted living and memory care facilities in Clanton, Daphne, Eufaula, Athens, Pelham, Hazel Green, Wetumpka, and Anniston, Alabama. Many of these locations are strategically placed so you can be as close as you need to be to your loved one.
Our story-centered approach to memory care allows us to embrace your loved one’s abilities, preferences, and rich past. All scheduled activities are planned around five needs: social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual. Our goal is to provide the highest quality of life for each of our residents.
For more information on our assisted living facilities or how you can love your loved one during the Christmas season, contact Cavalier Senior Living today!
