Coping with dementia during the holiday season

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - The holidays are fast approaching, but for families coping with alzheimer's the holidays can be bittersweet or even frustrating.

About one in nine adults in America over the age of 65 lives with alzheimer's, according to the Centers for Disease Control. 65,000 "family caregivers" bear the burden of the disease in Idaho alone.

Jody Cornilsen of the Alzheimer's Association remembers what it was like caring for her grandmother during what used to be the most wonderful time of the year.

"People often they want to keep doing the things that they've always done and that can mean a lot of family and a lot of stimulation for somebody with the disease," Cornilsen said. "And then the caregiver is trying to manage that and it's exhausting. And then there's these expected patients of these holidays. We all have these expectations that our event is going to be amazing and just like it used to be, and it really just can't be that anymore."

To make the holidays easier the Alzheimer's Association provides several helpful tips.

• Consider activities every member of your family can participate in
• Provide a safe environment for your family member
• Be patient as they struggle to communicate

They say you may need to adjust your expectations of for the holiday as you work to involve your loved ones living with dementia.

"Do we even need to have a big ole holiday," asked community educator for the Alzheimer's Association Joanne Trammel. "Or can we involve mom in a way that she's reading the recipe? Or she's basting the turkey? Or stuffing it? Things that are safe and still engaging in the activity, but not expecting her to do the whole thing?"

"It's honing in your expectations of where is the person and what can they still do and allowing them to do that," Trammel said.

And as a caregiver, it's important to take care of yourself as well. Experts suggest you consider asking a family member to help during the holidays.

"You're giving someone a gift when you're asking them to come in and help," James Findlay of community care program told Local News 8. "And that gift is a unique experience with the person that you're caring for. My parents when my grandma had cancer, they couldn't take care of her all the time, so they asked me to take her to chemotherapy, and those are one of my greatest memories with my grandma."

The Alzheimer's Association also provides a 24/7 helpline for information and help caring for someone with the disease.

Call 800-272-3900 or for more information click HERE.