Dementia Holiday Activities That Lower Stress and Raise the Joy(part 2)

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

by Paula Spencer caring.com

Have fun with food

Make cookies.Someone once famous for her Christmas cookies may miss the kitchen activity. She may no longer be able to handle Pfeffernusse or a spritz gun, but together you could mix up a simple slice-and-bake dough (or do it for her in advance) and then let her slice the log and and arrange the cookies on a baking sheet. Or set out colored sugar, sprinkles, and other decorations for decorating a tray of sugar cookies or gingerbread men you've already cut-out. (Kids love this, too.)

Crack nuts. Put the person to work with an old-fashioned nutcracker and a big bowl of walnuts, pecans, and Brazil nuts. A nice, soothing activity during family gatherings. *

Make a soothing atmosphere.

Stock up on classic holiday movies. Favorites to put in your Netflix queue or pick up cheap at the local superstore: "It's a Wonderful Life," "Miracle on 34th Street," "White Christmas," "Christmas in Connecticut," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," (animated Seuss version), and "A Christmas Story" (that's the 1983 modern classic about the boy who dreams of a Red Ryder BB gun). Invite your relative to choose if decision-making is not yet too fraught.

Put together a photo album of holidays past. This one takes a little time, but pays off in hours of repeated reviewing. Better yet, get a child to jot down the person with dementia's descriptions of each photo -- faces, places, funny things that happened (you may be surprised what's remembered, though also be prepared for nothing to be recalled); insert the notes in the album next to each picture.

Play holiday music throughout the day. Mental grooves are deep for these tunes, which makes them especially soothing. Stick to classics you know the person is familiar with – this is probably not the year to spring Bob Dylan's or Taylor Swift's new Christmas album. (Although you never know!)

Thanks Paula

Considerations for the Holidays for Staff Working with Persons with Dementia and their Families

Activities directors and other healthcare professionals here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals.

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

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Murray Alzheimer's Research and Education Program

Holidays may be a joyous celebration for some and distressing or sad for others. Some
clients/residents may have family or friends who visit and others may be alone. Be sensitive to the
needs and feelings of persons with dementia at this time of year.
v Be respectful and take the time to learn about the person with dementia – their preferences, culture,
religion and ethnicity. Provide opportunities for persons with dementia to celebrate the holidays
according to their own preferences. Invite clients/residents, whether living at home or in the
community, to participate in holiday and other recreational festivities as appropriate.
v Families can be asked to share photo albums of previous holiday celebrations which can often
assist with a relaxing form of reminiscence. For some people, playing familiar holiday movies and
holiday music can be comforting. This can be a helpful strategy for persons who are restless
during evening/overnight shifts.
v Where appropriate, holiday decorating can be used both as an enjoyable activity or a topic of
conversation. Sharing holiday practices and traditions from a person’s country of birth can be a
meaningful exchange for both staff and persons with dementia.
v Pay attention to the person sitting alone in their room or who does not get visitors. Providing them
with a holiday card (e.g., Christmas, Chanukah) or seasonal plant may bring cheer to them – take
the time to stop by and visit those who may need comfort or would enjoy a smiling face.
v Do consider the noise level and multiple distractions that can impact upon a person with dementia
with possible increased activity and visits to a person’s home or longterm
care home.
v Be considerate of the words “do you remember.” Staff may explore broader reflections like “how
do you like to spend the holiday?” or “Tell me about what you enjoy about the holidays.” If need
be, ask closed ended questions like “did you used to skate/go on sleigh rides/cook a big meal
during the holidays?”
v Be sensitive to family members who can no longer celebrate the holidays as they once did. This
may be a difficult time for them – provide as much continuity in the lives of the person with
dementia and their family partners in care as possible (e.g., dinner together). Provide opportunities
for persons with dementia and their families to celebrate the holidays together through shared
family activities and programs

Dementia Holiday Activities That Lower Stress and Raise the Joy

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Here is a dementia music activity

by Paula Spencer, Caring.com senior editor

Holiday stress can soar for caregivers whose loved ones have Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. And for good reasons: Your own already-bursting to-do load stretches longer than the lines at the post office. Safety worries intensify – the person who has dementia may want to drive to the mall to shop, wander away in a crowded store, or insist on resuming dangerous old habits or activities, like baking or woodworking. You may feel prickles of grief over things the person can no longer do (travel cross-country to visit grandchildren or set up the Christmas tree, for example). Beloved traditions -- especially lots of lights, lots of company -- may now be bothersome or frightening to your relative. And did I mention that longer-than-ever to-do list?

One solution: Help the person keep busy and engaged with repetitive seasonal activities. Repetition that seems tedious to the rest of us is often soothing to someone with cognitive impairment. These activities stoke feelings of accomplishment and pride. All good: Call it repetitive de-stress syndrome.

Some ideas:

Make decorations

Set the person to work stringing garlands. All you need is a long heavy thread and a darning needle. Try stringing cranberries, popcorn, even O-shaped cereal (Fruit Loops are cheerfully colorful).


Fashion paper chains. These require a bit more dexterity: You have to cut the strips of paper, then curl them around one another and staple. A good project to have an older grandchild supervise while the person with dementia helps in whatever way she can. Use construction paper or, for a really festive look, heavy-stock wrapping paper.

Make pomanders. Clove-studded oranges to hang or display in a bowl are not only lovely, but their scent may evoke calming, happy memories. Again, they require a little dexterity but not much. Instructions here (scroll down; it's a different blog I do just-for-fun).

Have fun with food

Make cookies.Someone once famous......more tomorrow