As COVID-19 surges, families are struggling with decisions about the holiday season — weighing concerns about the safety of traveling with the desire to spend time with friends and relatives. For families who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, these decisions are even harder, especially since many have forgone visits since COVID-19 began. The emotional pull to spend time with these loved ones during the holidays is felt very keenly.
“Holidays may look different this year due to COVID, but as we find new ways to connect with loved ones while staying safe, it’s important to think about the person with dementia. We can help you figure out what some common behaviors might mean, how they might be triggered, and how to respond so everyone can enjoy the holidays and avoid stress,” said Eileen Hendriksen, LMSW, Care Consultant & Director of Early Stage Services for the Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter.
The Alzheimer’s Association offers the following tips for families with loved ones living with dementia:
- Schedule a family Zoom to talk about holiday celebrations and visiting a loved one with dementia, including the primary caregiver for the loved one with dementia.
- • Check the CDC website — cdc.gov — for COVID19 guidelines on visits with individuals deemed higher risk/vulnerable.
- • Think about what is best for the person with dementia and assess the risks of various options for family gatherings and in-person visits.
- • Reach a consensus and make decisions for the holidays that everyone supports.
- • Map out how you’ll celebrate the season and divide up responsibilities to make it happen.
- • If you decide on a virtual celebration, learn what kind of device is being used by the person with the disease and their caregiver. It may be necessary for the family to consider purchasing a new, updated device to make participation in virtual activities enjoyable
- • To ensure the person with the disease and their caregiver can participate in virtual events, arrange for training. For instance, seniorplanet.org offers free videos and classes for seniors to learn technology.
- • Identify one or two family members who can serve as the point people to coordinate the details and logistics of various virtual activities.
Tips for safe in-person visits:
- • Avoid or minimize any type of travel for the person with. Even car trips present risks, such as rest stops and restaurants.
- • Restrict the number of individuals who visit during the holidays.
- • Be sure any visitors fully commit to following the guidelines — both pre-visit and during the visit — such as quarantining for the appropriate time period before visiting, wearing a mask and maintaining safe social distancing during the visit
- Make sure your loved one with dementia wears a mask around visitors.
- • Consider having one family member be the official holiday helper for your loved one with dementia. This should be someone who practices social distancing on a regular basis and is able to commit fully to the necessary safety precautions.
The Alzheimer’s Association has programs designed to help caregivers deal with the complexities of the season. Caring through the Holidays will be offered from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 14, and Caring for a Loved One During COVID-19 will be offered at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16. To register for these programs, call the Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter at 800.272.3900.
These programs are supported in part by a grant from the New York State Department of Health. To learn more about the programs and services offered locally, visit alz.org/hudsonvalley. Visit alz.org, to learn more about The Alzheimer’s Association
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