Supporting Your Loved One in Dementia Care this Christmas

Here at Attach A Tag, we know it can be tough having your loved ones separate from you in a care home, especially if it’s far from your own home. In this post, we've spoken to our friends at Beehive Dementia Care to help us touch on the points that can be challenging around the festive season and try to ease you through.

Having a predictable routine is an important part of Dementia care, as it allows the individual to have a sense of security, comfort and familiarity that can reduce anxiety in a world that isn't concrete. With the Christmas period being a burst of colour and excitement, it can often aggrevate the senses when you have Dementia.

Lynsey at Beehive Care shares her insight: 

Lynsey: “Christmas is full of bright lights and loud sounds that can may cause overwhelm in the individual. Sometimes, it also brings back associated bad memories that they may have from years ago, so work with their mood and body language and look out for signs of discomfort.”

Time constraints, both on your side and the home’s, can lead to visitation slots clashing with other commitments in your Christmas holiday schedule and you may not always be able to visit your loved ones when you initially planned. Instances like this or unexpected illnesses can really throw a spanner in the works, especially in the festive season. 

Visit your loved ones when you can, send them letters and gifts if you’re unable to be there in person and give them a routine call to check up on them. 

Lynsey: “Try to stick to their routine as much as possible during this time - in most cases, its better to visit them 'little and often' and if visiting with family members, do not introduce too many people to them at once as it can overwhelm them.”

When the Festive season pressures a lot of us into spending more time with family, we often find ourselves wracked with guilt when plans fall through.

While It’s all well and good saying “don’t feel guilty”, taking a step back to re-assess plans and your thoughts on them may help clear the cobwebs from your mind and put them into perspective: care homes are there to care for us when we’re unable and they have their whole team of staff to put up decorations and host a wealth of activities and a Christmas meal for the residents.

It’s a good idea to play memorable or nostalgic Christmas music for them so that they can bring back better memories. Playing classic festive films, putting up vintage decorations and keeping them involved in small ways so that they don’t feel invalidated or that they’re losing their identity (e.g if your loved one was the person that always cooked Christmas dinner).

One of the key things to remember though is the timing that all this happens in around them.

Lynsey at Beehive Dementia Care says:  “Try not to put up your Christmas decorations too early in December as to not confuse those with dementia. Having them up too early can make them think that they have forgotten to prepare for the holiday with buying presents etc and cause a lot of stress.”

A great aspect of care home life during Christmas is the rich program of activities that staff organize. Many care homes go to great lengths to create a festive atmosphere filled with engagement and enjoyment.

Christmas board games, craft sessions, carol singing, and specially themed activities are often on offer, providing residents with opportunities to socialize, have fun, and feel the Christmas spirit.

Encourage your loved one to participate in these activities – they're designed with dementia in mind, ensuring everyone can join in at their own pace and ability level. Simple games like matching pairs with Christmas images, gentle Christmas quizzes about traditions, festive bingo or collaborative craft projects like making paper chains or decorating biscuits can bring happiness and a sense of achievement.

(Many thanks to Lynsey at Beehive Care for giving words of advice this month and to Freepik for the graphics)