Consider everybody there -- including yourself, said caregivers to Alzheimer's and dementia patients when asked for advice on holiday gatherings with a loved one with the illness.
"Give yourself a break," said Sandy Hancock of Fort Smith, whose mother, Delores Krieger, 82, has advanced Alzheimer's. "Don't feel guilty for doing the best you can do."
Accommodate the member with dementia as best you can, she said, but don't let the other members of your family miss out on a holiday event. Prepare those other family members also, she said, particularly children.
The family's last holiday at home with Krieger was three years ago. The young children there were well-behaved, but typical children. Their bustle and noise was particularly disorienting for her mom, Hancock said.
