Best dementia Xmas gifts (and cards!)
Send cards to people with dementia and their carers - show them that you are staying in touch
Buy gifts of experiences - we all have too much stuff anyway
Reach out to friends and family with dementia this Xmas
Around this time of year, I must start getting out the address book to prepare for sending Christmas cards to people. If you’re caring for someone with dementia you’ve got a lot on your plate and writing Christmas cards may well just be one of those tasks that you don’t get round to completing. It doesn’t mean that you’ve stopped caring about others.
For anyone who has a friend affected by dementia, please remember to get in touch with them at this time of year and remind your other mutual friends to do that. For most of us, with Christmas cards, if you don’t get one back from someone for a long time you start to think that they have forgotten you and you may well drop them off the list. Please don’t do that if the person is living with dementia or has someone with dementia in the house. A postcard or note can make all the difference.
Dementia gift giving
And what to get for a Christmas present? In recent years because everyone I know has all the stuff that they could possibly want, I noticed that they are decluttering and getting rid of things. I don’t want to get in the way of that project. So instead of getting people things I find myself buying experiences, like a voucher for an afternoon tea. Or sometimes it is buying a donation in their name, such as donating a goat to a family in a developing country. You can do something along the same lines for a household that is affected by dementia. (Note…they probably don’t need a goat.) Exercise is so important for staying well when you are affected by dementia, so what about a gift voucher that says you will take the person for a walk once a week for a month? Even better - two months! Or you could pledge that you will stay at home with the person once a week for an afternoon or evening so that their family carer can have some time to themselves. Christmas is a time for giving, and this gift is one that no one else can match. Happy holidays!
Dementia charity cards in support of younger people with dementia can be bought here…. I love the design with two donkeys!!
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
