• Home
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Staff
    • My Running Story
    • Testimonials
    • Careers
  • What We Treat
    • Running Injuries
    • Sciatica, Back, & Neck Pain
    • Chronic Pain
    • Shoulder/Elbow Pain
    • Hip/Knee Pain
    • Ankle/Foot Pain
    • Balance/Vestibular
  • Specialities
    • Traditional Manual Therapy
    • Non-Traditional Manual Therapy
    • Running Services
    • Correct Toes
    • Kinesio Taping
    • OOV Services
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Free Guides
    • Events
    • Videos
    • Running Portal
  • Patient Info
    • Forms
    • FAQs
    • For Your Doctor
  • Contact Us
  • Reviews
    • Read Reviews
    • Rate Us!
  • COVID-19

The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
For information, call: 847-541-7600
or email: info@themanualtouch.com
  • The Manual Touch Linkedin
  • The Manual Touch YouTube
  • The Manual Touch Twitter
  • The Manual Touch Facebook

How the Holidays Impact Family Members with Dementia or Alzheimer’s

December 4, 2018 By Denise Schwartz Leave a Comment

Alzheimers and Dementia

Guest Post by Aging Life Care Expert, Debra Feldman

The holidays are a challenging time for everyone. Families gather from across the country, and there is a great deal of hustle and bustle. Days are hectic and full. Imagine how overwhelming the holiday celebrations might be for those family members with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Challenges for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease who will be visiting at someone else’s home

  • They tire more quickly and may not be able to stay for the entire party
  • They become overwhelmed by all of the people at large celebrations
  • They have a difficult time with excessive noise
  • They might not recognize everyone

It’s all in the Preparation

  • Select the holiday activities and traditions that are most important; you don’t have to have the same celebration you had long ago
  • Schedule the party at the time of day that is optimal for the person with Alzheimer’s disease; the dinner hour and beyond will likely not be a good time
  • Consider hosting a small gathering when the person with dementia is included.
  • Tone down your decorations – blinking lights and large decorative displays can cause disorientation. Avoid candles and decorations that look like edible treats.
  • Avoid too loud or noisy environments – calm and quiet gatherings are better enjoyed by the person with dementia.
  • Keep it simple

Ensure that your guests know what to expect of the person with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease

  • Prior to the gathering, update and share with the guests the current cognitive abilities and behaviors they might display
  • Help guests to interact – what things to say, how to present ideas/topics, how to respond to the behaviors
  • Prepare your guests that they may not be recognized. They could try to share some past memories, but remember that this still may not trigger a connection. They can have conversations about the current goings on and should simply forget about trying to get the family member to recognize/remember who they are.
  • Make the experience enjoyable
  • Designate one person who is most familiar to the person with dementia to stay close by to assist with dining, the bathroom and being available to take the person home when they begin to tire.
  • Involve the person in simple holiday preparations or encourage him/her to observe the preparations. Have them assist with decorations and baking.
  • Build on past traditions and memories – singing old holiday songs, watching favorite holiday movies, or looking through old photo albums.

When your family member resides in a care facility. (Assisted Living, memory care facility, nursing home)

  • Schedule visits at your loved one’s best time of day.
  • Limit the number of people visiting at one time. Too many people are overwhelming for your loved one. Spread out the family visits over a few days.
  • Keep in mind, the person with dementia does not know what day it is, so you can celebrate on any day that is most relaxing and convenient for you.
  • Celebrate in the most familiar setting – for persons with Alzheimer’s disease, a change of environment can be very upsetting. If the person lives in a facility, reserve the special dining room if a meal is planned. Schedule the celebration in a private area of the community. You could also participate in the holiday activities that are planned by the community.

To learn more about how an Aging Life Care Expert can help you, visit www.ddfcaremanagement.com or join us for a free presentation in our office on Dec. 8th. Click here for more information.

Filed Under: Aging Tagged With: aging life care, aging parents, Alzheimer's, Dementia

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Health Tips

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
I'm also interested in receiving:

Search Other Blogs

Recent Blog Posts

  • What Does Your Big Toe Have To Do With Painting?
  • Frogs: A Symbol of Transformation
  • Meet Our Social Media Manager, Rachel

Blog Post Topics

Testimonials

Denise gave me confidence that she knew what was wrong and what to do about it, and under her care I quickly felt better and am now on the road to better fitness. She has a feel for what’s causing what, and is good technically and also good at making you feel cared for.
Read More
I am especially grateful for the amazing positive effect Denise has on the days I take my mom to PT. Denise has helped my mom with her knee pain and one day, she noticed something was different. Mom had a misplaced left kneecap and Denise was able to use kinesiology tape to fix it. Denise does amazing work!
Read More
I felt much better after initial visit and even more so after the second.  I would not have believed I could see such an improvement in how I felt after only two sessions.
Read More
With improved balance by utilizing Denise’s exercises on a daily basis, I now have reduced the risk of falling and possibly fracturing a bone.  I am grateful for Denise’s expertise. If you have a balance issue I recommend a visit to Denise.
Read More
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic condition which affects the connective tissue throughout my body. As a result of this disorder I deal with ongoing severe acute and chronic pain and a variety of other rare overlapping conditions such as thoracic outl… Read more
Read More
I came to Denise with pain in my neck and upper back from a fall earlier this year.  In addition, I also have chronic low back pain. Denise evaluated me and went right to work giving me exercises and hands on therapy to help me. Today is my eighth session and I am happy to report that my back pain has been relieved and my neck pain is slight and so much better.
Read More
I had several issues when I began therapy at The Manual Touch.  My sacrum had rotated;  there was stiffness in the right side of the neck; and pain in the left bicep. Denise did an excellent job resolving these issues.  Besides being very knowledgeable, she is also easy to work with.  I looked forward to, and enjoyed, my sessions with her. If I need physical therapy in the future, I will definitely return to The Manual Touch.
Read More
I came in with a frozen shoulder 2 months ago. I had trouble putting coats on and had a very limited range of motion, especially to the back. After the first session, I started feeling better, and now, I don’t feel pain any more and the range of motion to the back has improved a lot as well. Thanks, Denise, for a great work.
Read More
Denise Schwartz at The Manual Touch is A GREAT Physical Therapist!  I came to her with a torn ligament and tendonitis in my foot AFTER going to 2 other well know PT chains who actually made my injuries worse. Not only did she help me heal from those injuries but actually worked on other parts of my Body to help heal those areas too. I really appreciate that she works on the whole body – after all everything is connected. She is very knowledgeable in what she does.
Read More
Thank you for treating my back injury and helping me quickly return to comfort and the activities I enjoy!  When I last injured my back and tried P.T., I treated for 7 months with none of the results you helped me achieve in a fraction of that amount of time.  I really enjoyed your personal and customized approach, and the fact that you treated other issues that were plaguing me to help me improve my movement and function.  Every time I unload the dishwasher and use the proper posture to prot… Read more
Read More

Our Mission


We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
Top 10 physical therapists in Wheeling

A winner of the
2015 Patients' Choice Awards
for
Wheeling Physical Therapist

Verified by Opencare.com

Testimonials

Denise gave me confidence that she knew what was wrong and what to do about it, and under her care I quickly felt better and am now on the road to better fitness. She has a feel for what’s causing what, and is good technically and also good at making… Read more
I am especially grateful for the amazing positive effect Denise has on the days I take my mom to PT. Denise has helped my mom with her knee pain and one day, she noticed something was different. Mom had a misplaced left kneecap and Denise was able to… Read more
I felt much better after initial visit and even more so after the second.  I would not have believed I could see such an improvement in how I felt after only two sessions.
With improved balance by utilizing Denise’s exercises on a daily basis, I now have reduced the risk of falling and possibly fracturing a bone.  I am grateful for Denise’s expertise. If you have a balance issue I recommend a visit to Denise.
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
I came to Denise with pain in my neck and upper back from a fall earlier this year.  In addition, I also have chronic low back pain. Denise evaluated me and went right to work giving me exercises and hands on therapy to help me. Today is my eight… Read more
I had several issues when I began therapy at The Manual Touch.  My sacrum had rotated;  there was stiffness in the right side of the neck; and pain in the left bicep. Denise did an excellent job resolving these issues.  Besides being very knowl… Read more
I came in with a frozen shoulder 2 months ago. I had trouble putting coats on and had a very limited range of motion, especially to the back. After the first session, I started feeling better, and now, I don’t feel pain any more and the range of m… Read more
Denise Schwartz at The Manual Touch is A GREAT Physical Therapist!  I came to her with a torn ligament and tendonitis in my foot AFTER going to 2 other well know PT chains who actually made my injuries worse. Not only did she help me heal from tho… Read more
Thank you for treating my back injury and helping me quickly return to comfort and the activities I enjoy!  When I last injured my back and tried P.T., I treated for 7 months with none of the results you helped me achieve in a fraction of that amoun… Read more
Read More

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE

Copyright © 2021 The Manual Touch, LLC. · 325 n. milwaukee ave. · Ste D. · Wheeling, IL. 60090 · 847-541-7600

The information provided on The Manual Touch Physical Therapy website is for personal and noncommercial use only. The resources and content provided should be used for educational purposes only and not as a substitute for appropriate medical care. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort please seek medical attention.