The holidays are a stressful time. Providing the appropriate senior care while maintaining and fostering a holiday spirit, is much easier when you have the help of a senior caregiver.
If you are responsible for looking after an elderly parent with dementia, you may also be part of the sandwich generation, which refers to individuals, usually women, who are caught between tending to their elderly parents and raising their children. Even if your children are no longer kids, they still probably rely on the comfort and consistency of family holiday traditions.
Although a senior caregiver may help you maintain some semblance of a balance between the two demographics demanding your attention, you may still feel torn between addressing the needs of your elderly parent and preparing for the upcoming holiday. Dementia patients are frequently very aware of the atmosphere around them; even if they are not fully cognizant of the specifics of what is going on, they still have positive and negative associations with feelings and circumstances. Therefore, your parent may very well pick up on either the excitement or the stress of the household as you get ready for the holiday season. In order to foster and sustain a calm environment for your parent, you, your family, and the senior caregiver should have a strategy of how to keep him relaxed as well as what to do if he begins to get agitated. This plan of action should be on standby throughout the year, not just during the holidays.
An elderly person, such as an octogenarian or a nonagenarian, probably appreciates simple pleasures, and if he suffers from dementia, these enjoyments may help distract him from anxiety and make him feel more grounded. Movies and music that he has always liked or that were popular in his youth may be a pleasant diversion, even if he is unable to verbally reminisce, these films and songs and their performers, provide a sense of familiarity and belonging.
Your parent should have a specific room designated as his safe haven; his bedroom probably makes the most sense. This way, as you and your children do errands and prepare the house for the holidays, the senior caregiver may have an established setting to keep your parent peaceful. If possible, this room should include an entertainment system as well as crafts and other activities to keep your parent safe and engaged. If your parent has trouble with the stairs or is not very ambulatory, the room should also have a hospital table on which he may eat meals, play games, etc. Your parent may even be able to help with the holiday preparations by contributing simple, homemade arts and crafts decorations.
The holidays are always a time to celebrate family. Just because your parent may not be able to participate in the same manner that he once did, it does not mean that you cannot all enjoy the holidays together. The help of a senior caregiver allows you to focus on the joy of spending the holidays with your loved ones.
Author Resource:-
Penelopespeople.com, A NYC based household staffing agency and nanny agency ny, that specializes in matching qualified, experienced staff with the right households. Penelopespeople.com, A NYC based household staffing agency that specializes in matching qualified, experienced staff with the right households.
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