5 holiday tips for families of people with Alzheimer's

The Alzheimer's Society of P.E.I.is offering some tips to families and caregivers of people with Alzheimer's and dementia to help make the holiday season less stressful.

1. Sensorybaskets

When it comes to gifts, CorrineHendricken-Eldershaw, CEO of theAlzheimer's Society of P.E.I.,recommends creating a basket of sensory items for an individual with Alzheimer's or dementia, full of thingsthat will appealtheir senses.

"It could be a photo album of memories, it could be newspaper clippings, it's great to have an iPod and headphones so that theirgenre of music is in that little basket," Hendricken-Eldershawsaid.

Other items to includecould be stuffed animals or soft blankets, knitted mittens, soaps and lotions. She also recommends creating a fidget blanket, which is a blanket with several different tactile elements, including buttons, ribbons, or tassels, that a person can playwith.

2. Practical gifts

Another set of gift ideas include items that can help a person with Alzheimer's with daily tasks, Hendricken-Eldershaw said.

"Simple things like Post-It notes, having a whiteboard that has information that they might be repeating or inquiring about that's posted somewhere for them to be able to take a look at is always helpful," she said.

Other helpful gift ideas include simple or universal remote controls with only one or two buttons, phones with large buttons or photo-assigned buttons and iPads or tablets.

There are also many gifts that can be useful for helping people stay mentally and physically active, said Hendricken-Eldershaw. She recommends gifting crosswords or sudokupuzzles with large print, puzzles and memory card games. If people are able to be physically active, gifts like small weights or FitBits can be a good way to keep people moving and measure their health, she added.

3. Plan smaller, shorter gatherings

People living with Alzheimer's or dementia can be very sensitive to levels of noise or stimulation around them, Hendricken-Eldershaw said.

She advises people to try to keep celebrations short or consider bringing a person with dementia to a more meaningful part of an event, including short meals or a church service.

"It doesn'tneed to be all day that they're with you," Hendricken-Eldershaw said."But a window of time and within that window of time we try to be mindful of what will be helpful."

She also advises people to make sure there isa quiet space away from the celebration wherea person can go to take a break or visit with a smaller number of people.

4. Createengaging activities

Creating engaging or familiar activities can help people with Alzheimer's or dementia feel more comfortableduring holiday celebrations, Hendricken-Eldershaw said.

"When you think of engaging activities, go back to your checkerboards, your dominos, your cards,"she said. "Bring in some things that are important to them over the years."

She also recommends looking through photo albums or playingfamiliar music to make a person with dementia more comfortable during visits.

"People really enjoy those kinds of gatherings and things and it's in their long-term memory," she added. "So they're going to really enjoy that kind of activity over the holidays."

5. Support caregivers

"We must remember that our caregivers are our moms, our dads, our brothers, our sisters," Hendricken-Eldershawsaid. "Often we forget the caregiverin this whole journey."

She encouraged peopleto give caregiversopportunitiesto go out and do something for themselves over the holidays and offer help when you can.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |'This is beyond awesome': Listeners from across Canada send P.E.I. boy WW II artifacts
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |From riddle quizzes to plum pudding, P.E.I. MLAs share Yuletide traditions