The husband of our friend with Alzheimer’s dementia hosted a reception for our Lady-Links group to meet their adult children, one of whom lives out of state and flew in for the holidays. There was a lovely time of sharing between her children and the Lady-Links regarding the benefits of a friendship caring group on the family as well as on the friends who make the visits. We enjoyed refreshments and singing Christmas carols accompanied by a guitarist. It was an uplifting, encouraging time for everyone involved.
We made the decorations with our f riend during our December Lady-Links visits. Having attended a session presented by the Alzheimer’s Association on how to prepare for the holidays, I was reminded how important it is to involve the person with dementia in “safe, manageable holiday preparation activities.” I chose decorations which our friend would enjoy making and would feel a sense of accomplishment when completed. It was holiday fun but with a purpose.
There is always preparation that must be done ahead of time before beginning any project with our friend. We want to make each activity flow smoothly and avoid any confusion with the steps in the process. We bagged the pine cones and trees with the correct number of glitter pom poms. That way, everything to complete the decoration was in one bag
We used washable, clear-drying glue. We put the drop of glue on the pine cone or the craft- foam Christmas tree and our friend chose which color of pom pom to place on that drop of glue. She loved choosing each color and deciding where to place it. At times, she would show us where she wanted the glue deposited. The stand for each craft-foam Christmas tree was made from a toilet paper roll wrapped in green card stock. We taped and/or glued them in place. We made 47 decorations which we used at events in our community for the first several weeks in December and then gave them to volunteers who took them to a continuing care facility to be enjoyed there.
As we made these decorations, we sang Christmas carols and songs. Our friend readily joined in, remembering the words and the tunes, building on past traditions and memories. Each Lady-Link visit in which time was spent in creating these decorations inspired conversations and triggered dormant holiday memories with our friend. What a blessing for all of us!
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