The Holidays and Alzheimer’s During COVID-19
The safest option is to avoid in-person holiday gatherings with people outside of your household, as there are other ways to stay socially connected. A holiday is still a holiday no matter where it is celebrated. Below are tips and ideas for safely engaging with family and friends during the holidays.
1- Involve the person living with dementia
Involve the person in safe, manageable holiday preparation activities that he or she enjoys:
Ask him or her to help you prepare food, wrap packages, help decorate or set the table.
When making holiday plans, consider what will be most comfortable and enjoyable for the person living with dementia, while keeping safety in mind.
Focus on the things that bring happiness and let go of activities that seem overwhelming, stressful or too risky.
Build on traditions and memories and experiment with new, physically distanced traditions that might be less stressful, such as watching seasonal movies.
2- Adapt gift giving
Ask people to send gifts in the mail rather than delivering them in person. Opening gifts over a video call like Zoom or Skype or even over a phone call can still feel very personal.
Advise people not to give gifts such as dangerous tools or instruments, challenging board games, complicated electronic equipment or pets.
Depending on his or her abilities and preferences, involve the person in gift giving.
3- Take extra precautions for in-person gatherings
If you choose to include older adults in an in-person holiday gathering, it is critical to weigh the risks to their health. Even when precautions are taken, close contact with anyone outside of your household increases the risk of spreading COVID-19. Please consider the following if you choose to include older adults in a face-to-face gathering:
Do not attend or host a gathering if you have been (or think you have been) exposed to COVID-19.
Ask attendees to avoid or strictly limit contact with others for 14 days prior to your gathering.
Host the event outside, if possible.
Ask attendees to wash or sanitize their hands regularly, wear masks and maintain 6 feet of distance between one another.
Shorten the duration of the event or limit the amount of time older adults will be in attendance.
Avoid hugging, handshakes and close contact of any kind.
Limit the number of people at the event.
Encourage guests to bring food and drinks for themselves and members of their household only.
