The Christmas Holidays with Dementia can be a difficult time. I have several products in my Etsy store, DementiaHelpingHand, designed for the Christmas Holiday season to help you out.
Holiday Planning & Organizing
When I was caregiving for my mom (more on her here), the Christmas holiday season was the toughest for me. Looking back, I can honestly say it was hard for my mom as well.
If you are caregiving plus have a family, it’s even harder for you.
I have a Holiday Planner in my Etsy store, DementiaHelpingHand, designed to make the season less stressful for you.
There are pages for organizing your plans such as a page for recipe ideas, menu ideas, and a menu plan.
Pages for thinking out your holiday decor, the party plan, the (serving) table layout and quite a few more!
There’s also a page for Holiday Concerns which has some prompts for you to consider in regards to your loved one with dementia. Keep in mind, the holiday season is a tough one for a person with cognitive difficulties as well.
On that note, check out my post, A Caregiver Guide for Dementia & the Holidays, for how to make the season go more smoothly for your loved one.
Dementia Brain games and Activities for the Holidays
I read over and over again how important it is that all of us continue to work our brains as we get older to lessen the effects of cognitive decline. It’s also important to do that with people who have dementia.
So what kind of activities should one do? Learn a new language, work on puzzles – both jigsaw and number puzzles, play music, learn a new instrument. The list goes on….
To keep your loved one’s brain active, in my Etsy store I have 2 Christmas activity mats.
There are objects to color, words to unscramble, word searches, fill-ins and a maze. All holiday related. The fill-ins are movie titles that people in their 50s-90s would be familiar with.
If you have some art supplies at home or just crayons and markers, that works as well. Here is a group of line art Christmas trees that someone can “decorate” using a variety of art materials.
While you’re in the store, check out the sets of matching cards that are available. There is a set of snowmen, older retro cars, ice cream cones and ones related to gardening.
Holiday Family Gatherings and Traditions
Family gatherings are a great time for chatting about memories.
If you’re interested in writing down the memories of your loved one and capturing what Christmas was like when they were young, here is a Christmas Memory Journal for you.
First of all, the pages were designed to be “aged” to give it that nostalgic look.
I tried to think of all the things I could that you might want to know about Christmases when your mother, father or grandparents were young. Things like, toys, gifts, what did they play, what did they eat, did they go to parties or church and various other things.
Also included are some prompts to help you elicit some information from your loved one.
The Christmas Memory Journal is an easy downloadable product. You can either write directly on it as you go or record your loved one then go back and write in the information.
Gift Ideas for Caregivers
Lastly, if you need a gift idea for a caregiver. I’ve got ya covered.
I have created a set of Affirmation cards designed to keep the caregiver’s spirits up. This makes a nice gift to yourself as well.
There are bookmarks that match some of the Affirmation cards.
Printable wall art also makes a good gift for a caregiver that you may know. There are a few selections to pick from. This makes for an easy gift. All you have to do is print one and frame it.
So there ya go. Several ways I can help you out during the Christmas Holiday Season.