Navigating the Holidays With Dementia: Tips for a Joyful and Stress-Free Season

The holiday season is a time for togetherness and celebration, but for seniors living with dementia — and their caregivers — it also brings unique challenges.

With a little planning and understanding, you can alleviate holiday stressors and create meaningful moments for everyone involved like our team does at Long Creek.

What Are the Impacts of Dementia During the Holidays?

The combination of dementia and the holidays is challenging due to changes in routine, sensory overload, and heightened emotions. Common stressors include:

Overstimulation

Twinkling lights, loud music, and busy gatherings with overlapping conversations might overwhelm someone with dementia. The condition heightens sensitivity to visual, auditory, and sensory input, making even seemingly small details feel startling.

Signs of overstimulation to watch for include agitation, withdrawal, and increased restlessness.

Confusion

New decor, unfamiliar faces, or altered home layouts often lead to disorientation, making once-familiar spaces seem strange and disrupting the cognitive routines that help seniors feel secure. Decorations that mimic food items or rearranged furniture further add to the confusion.

Look out for your loved one potentially misidentifying objects, becoming lost in familiar spaces, and showing hesitation in moving around the home.

Fatigue

A packed schedule may tire your loved one more quickly than expected. Dementia frequently reduces energy levels and makes it harder to process or participate in multiple events. Sensory overload also exacerbates exhaustion.

Irritability, trouble focusing, and a desire to retreat from activities are common indicators of fatigue.

How Else Can You Help?

Being mindful of these factors is one of the first steps in maintaining a more peaceful and enjoyable holiday season. Here are more actions you can take.

1. Create a Calm Environment

Making small adjustments to your holiday setup may significantly reduce stress for your loved one:

• Simplify Decorations: Avoid overly busy table settings, blinking lights, and decorations that resemble edible items (e.g., artificial candy). Opt for minimal, dementia-friendly decor.
• Designate Quiet Spaces: Have a calm area where your loved one can retreat if they get overwhelmed.
• Adjust Lighting and Noise Levels: Use soft, warm lighting instead of bright or flickering lights, and keep background noise like music or TV at a low volume to put together a soothing atmosphere.

2. Prioritize Familiarity and Routine

For someone with dementia, routine can be comforting:

• Stick to Regular Schedules: Keep consistent meal times and bedtime routines.
• Incorporate Familiar Traditions: Focus on holiday activities they’ve enjoyed in the past, such as singing carols or looking at photo albums.

3. Encourage Meaningful Participation

Inclusion fosters a sense of purpose and belonging. Adapt activities so they’re dementia-friendly:

• Christmas Crafts for Dementia Patients: Help your loved one decorate simple ornaments, string popcorn, or assemble holiday cards.
• Baking and Wrapping: Invite them to roll cookie dough, sprinkle decorations, or assist in wrapping gifts.
• Set Up Simple Tasks: Setting the table or arranging stockings are excellent ways to involve them.

4. Plan Smaller Gatherings or One-on-One Visits

Large family gatherings tend to be overwhelming. Instead, consider smaller, quieter gatherings:

• Divide Visits Into Smaller Groups: This allows your loved one to connect without feeling overstimulated.
• Have One-on-One Interactions: Focus on quality time, whether it’s sharing a cup of cocoa or reading holiday stories together.

5. Choose Thoughtful Christmas Gifts for Someone with Dementia

Gift-giving is a special way to show you care. Consider these ideas:

• Comfort items: Cozy blankets or weighted lap pads.
• Sensory activities: Puzzle sets, fidget blankets, or textured sensory balls.
• Memory aids: Photo books or personalized calendars with family pictures.

6. Celebrate Small Joys and Create Lasting Memories

Above all, embrace the spirit of the season by cherishing the simple, meaningful moments:

• Take a quiet walk to look at holiday lights.
• Share stories from past holidays.
• Laugh together over a favorite movie or song.

These seemingly small interactions can become cherished memories.

We Make the Holidays Special at Long Creek

At The Cottage, a memory care community at Long Creek, we understand how dementia shapes holiday experiences.

From dementia-friendly Christmas crafts to cozy gatherings, we’re committed to making the holidays a time of joy.

Celebrate Your Loved One With Us

Contact us today to learn more about our memory care program and how we make the holidays meaningful for seniors with dementia.