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Travel & Special Occasions

Celebrate BIG in Small Spaces: 10 Holiday Tips for Caregivers

Are you preparing to celebrate the first holiday since Mom moved out of her house and into assisted living or memory care? You’re probably wondering how to fit overflowing boxes of seasonal decorations into a downsized living space. As luck would have it, we have decades of experience creating attractive, comfortable homes for seniors. We’re happy to list our Top 10 Holiday Decorating Tips for Caregivers.

Start With Just One Special Thing

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #1

Holiday Tips for Caregivers: Feature a special collection of small ornaments on a wreath rather than a tree

The best designers begin by selecting a focal point.

  • If Mom has always been proud of her flair for trimming a tree, then honor that. Decorate a miniature while she watches or joins in. Or, instead, find a safe place for a short strand of twinkling lights and a few shiny ornaments.
  • Help her recall holiday memories with a themed wreath. For instance, if Mom loved baking, trim it with cinnamon sticks, gingerbread men or cookie cutters.
  • Call on all her senses to recall pleasant moments in her past. Add a familiar scent, sound or texture.

Please remember: Someone coping with dementia prefers their sensory experiences in small doses. Avoid overwhelming them with blinking lights, blaring noise or powerful smells.

It’s also best to keep things simple, avoiding the temptation to recreate a winter wonderland in Mom’s room.

Holiday Tips for Caregivers: Feature a special collection of small ornaments on a wreath rather than a tree

The best designers begin by selecting a focal point.

  • If Mom has always been proud of her flair for trimming a tree, then honor that. Decorate a miniature while she watches or joins in. Or, instead, find a safe place for a short strand of twinkling lights and a few shiny ornaments.
  • Help her recall holiday memories with a themed wreath. For instance, if Mom loved baking, trim it with cinnamon sticks, gingerbread men or cookie cutters.
  • Call on all her senses to recall pleasant moments in her past. Add a familiar scent, sound or texture.

Please remember: Someone coping with dementia prefers their sensory experiences in small doses. Avoid overwhelming them with blinking lights, blaring noise or powerful smells.

It’s also best to keep things simple, avoiding the temptation to recreate a winter wonderland in Mom’s room.

Focus on Memories, Not Decorations

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #2

If you could relive any holiday memory with Mom, which would you choose?

  • Did she teach you to glide across an icy pond or build the perfect snowman? Why not decorate her door with two mittens basted to a wide ribbon filled with holiday greenery? (Better yet, choose a pair she or a favorite visitor can wear after the decorations come down!)
  • Did you enjoy caroling together? Play a CD or iPod loaded with seasonal music when you visit.
  • Don’t forget to find space for framed photos that capture your holiday moments together. (If you label the back of Mom’s pictures with the names of the people and places in them, then you’ve created conversation starters for her caregivers, too.)

Build to Scale

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #3

You can make a big splash when decorating small spaces without crowding them. For example, rather than smother the windows and walls of a cozy room with garlands,

  • Surround a round mirror frame with artificial greenery to form a wreath, leaving the center open for a clear view, adding just a few enhancements — OR
  • Unpack Mom’s favorite beaded garland. Arrange a small section, shimmering, across the back of her dresser.

Display Heirlooms a New Way

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #4

Mom’s treasures might include cross-stitched handkerchiefs or favorite cards from years past. Why not create a wall display of the best, arranged like a tree?

If Mom’s pride & joy is a collection of Santas, nutcrackers or holiday houses, then put out one or two. Take pictures of the rest for a “brag book” she can share.

Find a New Favorite

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #5

If Mom’s holiday treasures are delicate or oversized, it’s time to make a substitution. For instance, to take the place of a fragile nativity,

  • Buy a similar but smaller set built to withstand rough handling OR
  • Find a unique new creche in a store featuring handcrafted products made by local or international artisans.

Keep it User-Friendly

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #6

When decorating small spaces, it’s tempting to display holiday mail from friends and relatives with ribbons or clips. Be careful!

Your clever display might frustrate Mom’s attempts to sort and study precious cards and photos. Consider keeping them in a unique basket instead.

Exploring the basket becomes a fun winter pastime when you add photos of families, friends and holidays past. (Scanned copies of treasured photos, that is!) Keep Mom interested by adding new pictures from time to time.

Make It Easy to Maintain

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #7

Caregivers have much to do, keeping Mom healthy and calm during the holidays. Please don’t distract them from her care by asking them to maintain your decorations. Instead, help them keep Mom safe by not adding tripping, fire or other safety hazards.

How you can help

For instance,

  • Choose small, artificial trees that don’t tip, shed or need water.
  • Decorate only with shatterproof ornaments.
  • Select lights that are cool to the touch (and turn on with the flip of a switch).
  • Never use open-flame candles, opting instead for battery-operated ones. Better yet, find ones with built-in timers set to turn off by bedtime.
  • Please try to limit your demands on staff. For instance, caregivers can unlikely convince Mom to wear her new holiday outfit whenever you visit.

Caregivers have much to do, keeping Mom healthy and calm during the holidays. Please don’t distract them from her care by asking them to maintain your decorations. Instead, help them keep Mom safe by not adding tripping, fire or other safety hazards.

How you can help

For instance,

  • Choose small, artificial trees that don’t tip, shed or need water.
  • Decorate only with shatterproof ornaments.
  • Select lights that are cool to the touch (and turn on with the flip of a switch).
  • Never use open-flame candles, opting instead for battery-operated ones. Better yet, find ones with built-in timers set to turn off by bedtime.
  • Please try to limit your demands on staff. For instance, it’s unlikely caregivers can convince Mom to wear her new holiday outfit whenever you visit.

Less Is More

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #8

Mom has lots of ornaments, but only a few are truly special. Try highlighting three of them atop candlesticks on a table.

In addition to honoring Mom’s past, comfort her in her present, too. Yes, she once loved flashing holiday lights, but now she’s likely disturbed by such displays. Search for a small holiday marquee to top her dresser, where it serves as a lovely decoration even when unlit.

Create More Memorable Moments

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #9

Holiday decorating provides fabulous opportunities to work together. So, side by side with Mom, create a blizzard of snowflakes for the window or an army of gingerbread men for a garland.

You’re more likely to enjoy this partnership if you keep your plans simple. After all, you’re enjoying your loved one’s company, not competing for “Best Room in the House.”

Respect Others’ Sensitivities and Traditions

Holiday Tip for Caregivers #10

Caring while sharing

Please ask permission before decorating the shared spaces of Mom’s new home. After all, fellow residents may have sensitivities you’re unaware of, likely heightened by their dementia. Also, what you see as festive may feel cluttered to the team that keeps the home safe and clean throughout the season.

A season of goodwill

Furthermore, always consider other residents’ tastes and traditions in the common areas, as this is their home, too. For instance, lean into the colors significant to many faith traditions: silver, gold, white and blue. If you ask to place an advent calendar on the mantle, leave room for a menorah or kinara. Of course, everyone celebrates the season with snowflakes, snowmen, cookies and stars. As a bonus, decorations featuring these motifs can stay up past Valentine’s Day!

Bonus Holiday Tip for Caregivers (perhaps the most important)

Not Everything is Merry & Bright During the Holidays

The season may be tough for those who miss the friends or family members with whom they once celebrated. Some people also associate specific dates with traumatic past events. In such instances, taking time for friendly chats and quiet distractions rather than decorating is a much-appreciated act of kindness.

We’d point you to these suggestions from the American Medical Resource Institute if your loved one appears depressed or troubled by various holiday traditions or memories.

See What Better Care Looks Like!

See What Better Care Looks Like!