How to Support Your Loved One Living with Dementia at Christmas Time

Christmas time is a joyous and special time, but it can also be a season of increased stress, busyness and disruption to routine, especially for someone living with dementia.   

Here are a few tips to help make this Christmas enjoyable for both you and your loved one:

1.     Be careful not to introduce the Christmas season too quickly. As we learned in previous months, individuals living with dementia thrive on routine and familiarity, so if you pull out all your Christmas decorations and start transforming your home into a Hallmark Movie, your loved one may feel anxiety and display some responsive behaviors. Instead, try putting up the Christmas decorations gradually over a few days or a week to slowly ease them into the Christmas season.

2.     Keep the Christmas season as simple and familiar as possible. We all know that the Holidays can be busy and sometimes stressful as we try to visit family, complete our Christmas shopping, attend Holiday parties, etc. For someone living with dementia, disruptions to their familiar routine can cause a lot of anxiety and upset. We suggest trying to keep their daily routine is normal as possible to minimize upset.

3.     Keep Christmas gatherings small.  Large gatherings of family and friends can be loud, distracting and overwhelming for someone living with dementia, causing anxiety and some responsive behaviors. Instead of having a large gathering, try to plan ahead and arrange for a couple smaller gatherings with a quieter, less busy atmosphere that is more conducive to someone living with dementia.

4.     Get your loved one involved. It is important to get your loved one involved in your Christmas traditions, decorating, baking, and plans. Giving your loved one a simple, purposeful, and enjoyable task to complete can give them the feeling of meaning and purpose they need and deserve. Perhaps they get to place the nicest or most sentimental ornament on the Christmas tree or roll the dough for the cookies with a rolling pin.

5.     Be flexible. Expect change and expect that nothing will go as planned. You will need to be flexible with your Holiday plans and be ready to adapt your plans based on your loved one’s mood. Making your loved one do something they don’t want to do will likely result in episodes of anxiety.

6.     Reminisce. Christmas is a good time to reminisce about family traditions that evoke good memories. Perhaps your loved one always cut their own Christmas tree on the farm, or they went to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve…whatever memory holds happy thoughts for your loved one, encourage them to talk about it.

The most important thing to remember at Christmas time when you care for someone living with dementia, is that things won’t be perfect and that’s okay! There are still many ways you can adapt your Holiday plans to make it enjoyable for you and your loved one. This Christmas may be very different than the ones you’re used to, but you can still make it simple and special and have new memories to cherish for years to come.