With Christmas quickly approaching this week, we think not only about the individuals who find the holiday season emotionally challenging as a consequence of mental health issues, but also to the families and caregivers of loved ones with diagnoses of dementia.
In the story below, one family describes how the holiday season can be an especially difficult time for those with a family member at home with Alzheimer's, filled with confusion for the individual with dementia and often sadness as the family reflects on the past and takes note of the changes inflicted by the disease. However, the article also incorporates information and suggestions from the family and experts in the field as to how to best support the loved one with dementia during this season, in addition to ensuring that caregivers are supported as well.
"Caring for Helen as her mind deteriorates has never been easy for Terry and Mary, but the holidays make things harder. They have to strategize about how to celebrate without disrupting Helen's routine. They struggle with how to prepare relatives for Helen's inevitably worse condition and brace for the anger and disappointment they've come to expect when fewer friends turn up every Christmas ...
For Mary and Terry, taking some of the pressure off has made Christmas more bearable, but they can't shake the sense of loss that comes with it. "For me the hard part is that my mother-in-law is still with us physically, but mentally she's not there," Mary says. "It's almost like having somebody that's a stranger at Christmas.""
For the full article, click here: http://ht.ly/Wcnpv
In the story below, one family describes how the holiday season can be an especially difficult time for those with a family member at home with Alzheimer's, filled with confusion for the individual with dementia and often sadness as the family reflects on the past and takes note of the changes inflicted by the disease. However, the article also incorporates information and suggestions from the family and experts in the field as to how to best support the loved one with dementia during this season, in addition to ensuring that caregivers are supported as well.
"Caring for Helen as her mind deteriorates has never been easy for Terry and Mary, but the holidays make things harder. They have to strategize about how to celebrate without disrupting Helen's routine. They struggle with how to prepare relatives for Helen's inevitably worse condition and brace for the anger and disappointment they've come to expect when fewer friends turn up every Christmas ...
For Mary and Terry, taking some of the pressure off has made Christmas more bearable, but they can't shake the sense of loss that comes with it. "For me the hard part is that my mother-in-law is still with us physically, but mentally she's not there," Mary says. "It's almost like having somebody that's a stranger at Christmas.""
For the full article, click here: http://ht.ly/Wcnpv
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