Holiday Hints & Tips for Caregivers

Posted on November 7th, 2007 by AGIS Staff

Handling the holidays with a loved one who needs care can be difficult, but here are some tips from the National Institute of Aging and Iowa Sate University to help caregivers:

If you’re a caregiver, set your own limits early, and be clear about them with others. You do not have to live up to the expectations of friends or relatives. Your situation is different now.
Invite guests to the home of the care recipient so that he or she will be comfortable and not have to be taken out.
Encourage family and friends to visit even if it’s painful for them. Keep the number of persons visiting at one time to a minimum, or try a few people visiting quietly with the care recipient in a separate room. Plan for the care recipient to have adequate private rest in between.
Talk to family and friends before they arrive. If the care recipient is confused, has trouble eating or has any behaviors that guests might not understand, explain the circumstances to them and tell them how to approach the situation.
Suggest a potluck meal or ask guests to take responsibility for preparing a meal. Make clean-up easy by using festive paper plates and cups.
Try some simple holiday preparation with the care recipient several days ahead. Just observing your preparations will familiarize him/her with the upcoming festivities; if they participate with you, they experience the pleasure of helping and giving as well as the fun of anticipation and reminiscing.
If the care recipient suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, prepare potential quiet distractions (a family photo album or a simple repetitive chore like cracking nuts) to use if the loved one becomes upset or over-stimulated.
Try to avoid situations that further confuse or frustrate many people with Alzheimer’s Disease:
- crowds of people who expect the care recipient to remember them
- noise, loud conversations or loud music
- strange or different surroundings
- changes in light intensity – too bright or too dark
- over-indulgence in rich or special food or drink (especially alcohol)
- change in regular routine and sleep patterns
Try scheduling activities, especially some outdoor exercise, early in the day to avoid the fatigue from added activity at the end of a long day. Familiar holiday music, story-telling, singing or church services (even on TV) may be especially enjoyable.
If you receive invitations to holiday celebrations that the care recipient cannot attend, go yourself. Enjoy the chance to be with friends and family who love you and enjoy your company, with or without your loved one.
Take the hassle out of gift giving. Consider giving a gift of love such as an offer to reserve conversation time with a friend or a promise to attend a grandchild’s school play. Caregivers who wish to purchase gifts should consider giving one gift per family; buying online or mail-ordering purchases; or asking a neighbor or friend to help with shopping.
If guests ask what they can bring, suggest gifts that really will help — frozen prepared foods, an IOU for caregiving that offers you respite time, a trip to the beauty or barber shop for your care recipient, or an offer to run specific errands.