Mother, age 90, has early Alzheimer's and advanced dementia. My sister does not want Mother to awaken without family present on Christmas morning at the Assisted Living facility. In my opinion, if Mother stays in my sister's home overnight, the changes in routine and the absence of Mother's regular caregivers will be disruptive and could give Mother mixed messages about her need for assisted living. Mother lived with this daughter about 2 years prior to moving into assisted living. Mother thinks she will recover and eventually return to her own home. Mother has not requested to return to her daughter's home since moving from there. Mother would be away from the facility approximately 20 hours as there is a big dinner on Christmas Eve early in the evening at the home of Mother's niece. My sister's teenage daughter (14 yrs. of age) is usually excited, very active and loud - especially on Christmas morning after discovering and opening "Santa's" gifts.
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Everyone is different, and each family has to figure these things out, but I have found that bringing the holidays to the person with dementia worked better for us, than disrupting their routines by the sometimes difficult process of bringing them to a home they may not even remember. Good luck with whichever you do. All you can do is your best,
Carol
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Everyone’s situation is different, the hard things is facing and accepting the small changes that take place over time with dementia, and making the adjustments to make your parent comfortable. That might mean less activity and more quite time. I am sure you and your sister will work that out. What ever you decide the love will always be there. Hope this helps. Happy Holidays
Currently I have another relative, age 92. She does not have dementia, but has mobility issues. She can't climb steps without difficulty, and decide that she does not want to go to her niece's house for Christmas. Also, there is ice and snow around, does not want to leave the house at all. Therefore, she and I will be spending Christmas quietly at home. I have been bringing her presents to her, one present per week, with the rest to follow, Christmas Eve.
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