It’s the Fourth of July–Celebrate the Holiday

Celebrate our Freedom, but Keep it Simple

The Fourth of July can be such a fun holiday–picnics, music, fireworks, family get-togethers.  But for the person with dementia,  it can be a trying, sometimes even frightening time.  For people in the early stages of the disease, celebrating can be pretty much the way it’s always been, but as people progress into the middle and later stages of Alzheimer’s or other related dementias, keeping the day simple is the best choice.

For some people with significant memory loss, leaving home, wherever that may be–home, apartment, assisted living, skilled facility–may be difficult.  For some it may be something as simple as the comfort of the place that is most familiar.  I’ve often thought that for people with incontinency issues, it may just be remaining in a place where they know where the bathroom is.   So one solution is to bring the celebration to the person’s place of residence.

Don’t plan for a whole day; if your celebration is go on for more than two hours, try to have a quiet place available for a short rest time.

Other ideas about keeping it simple are to limit the number of people who will join in the celebration.  Sometimes the over-stimulation of a lot of people is overwhelming and too tiring.   Food choices should be kept to a minimum of familiar favorites, and for those who are having difficulty with meals, finger foods would be a good choice.

Fireworks may be fun for the kids, but Grandpa may not understand exactly what is happening and may be frightened by what sounds like gunshots to him.  Music is usually a source of great enjoyment for people with memory loss, but include music that is familiar and that the person enjoyed in the past, and limit the volume and the amount of time devoted to it.

Celebrate our freedom and have a wonderful weekend.