If you love to have a big family Thanksgiving and have a family member with Alzheimer’s, you can face some big challenges. Do you have the celebration in your home and have strangers invade your loved one’s space? Do you travel to a less familiar location and add confusion about his or her surroundings to the mix? Suddenly, the holiday celebration is something you don’t want to even think about. However, although you may not sail through the holiday without difficulties, there are a few things you can do to make sure the celebration is not completely overwhelming.

* If you are traveling to someone else’s home, you may want to arrange to arrive early and leave before all of the guests arrive or arrive late and stay only a short time. The combination of unfamiliar faces and places can really be a lot for an Alzheimer’s patient to handle.

* If you do opt to stay, make sure you there will be a spot that is not in the middle of everything where your loved one can relax. (A chair tucked into an alcove of the room where all the guests are sitting provides a bit of security without being too isolating.) Bring along something familiar and comforting, such as a music cd you play frequently.

* If you are having the celebration in your own home, you may want to serve dinner to your loved one before the guests arrive. This way, if he or she becomes too upset to sit through the meal with everyone else, you can suggest a short rest without worrying about whether the Alzheimer’s patient is hungry.

* While many Alzheimer’s patients love children, a group of them can be overwhelming. Prepare some quiet activities for the kids, like having an adult read some stories related to the holiday and Thanksgiving themed crafts. (Oriental Trading Company has some great crafts this year.)

* Another tip for an Alzheimer’s patient who is not in the advanced stages of the disease: Before the holiday, prepare an album with photos and names of all of the guests in it. Being able to refer to the photos and seeing who is approaching can help make your loved one a bit less worried about having his or her memory fail to provide the information.

Does anyone else have some tips on how they handle the Thanksgiving holiday?

Posted by on 10.30.2006 • Uncategorized