Advent Calendar Announcement
Start of Advent
Practicalities of caring in December
Emergency planning for carers
The start of Advent
Despite what the windows on your chocolate Advent calendar indicate, the season of Advent doesn’t start on December 1. Advent is the name for the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve a new Christian year starts with the 12-day celebration of Christmastide until Epiphany on January 6th.
Now is the time for Dementia the One Stop Guide to start our annual Advent Calendar of reflections on life for people affected by dementia, including hints and tips for not only making it through the demands of this time of year, but having some traditional fun at the same time. Spring 2022 saw the publication of the one stop guide to Carers and Caring
On the first Sunday of Advent some people are already a bit jaded by the commercialism and past the excitement of Christmas. But let’s resist that! During the years of COVID-19 there was much discussion about whether there would be enough gifts in stores, and so people shopped early. With Brexit and the anxiety about the availability of truck drivers there was an endless series of stories about whether the usual food and drink would be available. This year we are worried about fuel prices, inflation, and an uncertain future. It makes Advent sound like a time of stress and worry rather than joy and anticipation.
Practical issues for dementia
If you are affected by dementia or someone you care for is affected, there are other practical issues to worry about. Will care services including health and social care be available? Will there be any hiccups with care home visiting? What about travel? Over the next four weeks I’ll be sharing stories from families affected and talking about what can be done to make this time of year less tense and stressful.
Let’s get planning!
The most important thing is planning. Precisely because people with dementia present you with surprises all the time, everyone needs to have plan B most of the time. One plan that is essential is your Emergency Plan. Whenever I go about without an umbrella it rains. If I plan and bring one with me…I never seem to need it! Having an Emergency Plan doesn’t bring emergencies on, any more than an umbrella causes rain. But it really helps if you have thought about emergencies in advance.
Emergency planning for carers
You can get templates for Emergency Plans here and here.
There is more about emergency planning in my book about Carers and Caring which can be ordered on Amazon, WHSmith, Waterstones, bookshop.org.
I’ll be writing more about this during this Advent season. Because I am wishing you a fun time, but most of all a peaceful and happy time.
If you would like more information, you can buy my book Dementia, the One Stop Guide or Care Homes: When, Why and How to Choose a Care Home. I am available for consultancy for families or organisations. And if you have any further queries or questions, or suggestions for something you’d like to see me write on, please contact me via the Contact Page
See my new course on Dementia the One Stop Guide on Policy Hub here
