INDIANAPOLIS — ARTICLE SPONSORED BY AMERICAN SENIOR COMMUNITIES
Janean Kinzie, ASC's Director of Social Wellness & Life Enrichment, shares tips for celebrating the holidays with senior family members and prioritizing mental health.
Kinzie explains, "When you think about dementia, an important thing to remember, especially around the holidays, is that there are a lot of changes to someone's brain that affect how they interact with their environment, how they process their environment, and then changes to their physical body."
Holidays can be stimulating for anyone, let alone someone who has dementia. "Be aware of the sights and sounds." Kinzie recommends helping individuals to the restroom to maintain safety, especially in new environments.
Kinzie shares, "We can still do traditions. You know, that are special to everyone. They just might look a little different. So if you're a cooking or baking family, you can still do those things. You may have to prepare a little bit ahead of time and have things in different steps, but we can still do them and have them be meaningful."
To learn more, visit ASCCare.com.