NYC In-home Care Personalizing Dementia-Friendly Thanksgiving Activity for Seniors with Alzheimer’s

Thanksgiving Day is around the corner to bring back happy memories of this gracious family holiday. Unfortunately, there are more than 400,000 New Yorkers living with Alzheimer’s disease currently, involving more than 580,000 family members providing care, according to Alzheimer’s Association NYC. For nearly one million New Yorkers, this Thanksgiving calls for a special touch from professionally trained in-home caregivers to make the post-pandemic Thanksgiving Day as comfortable and enjoyable as possible and not let anything keep them from enjoying the joyous time of togetherness with family!

New Yorkers in need of help with planning and preparing Thanksgiving activities that are Dementia-friendly can look into personalized Alzheimer’s & Dementia in-home care services. Touching Hearts NYC offers award-winning and professionally trained live-in caregivers, who specialize in Alzheimer’s and Dementia home care services. In-home caregivers are a great solution for those looking for assistance with dementia-friendly Thanksgiving activities or respite for the family caregiver.

Touching Hearts NYC’s in-home caregivers are professionally trained and are experts in the best practice for both short-term and long-term memory loss. They provide award-winning quality care for your loved one through a personalized Alzheimer’s & Dementia in-home care plan tailored to the elderly loved one’s needs and wishes. The in-home caregivers help elderly loved ones comfortably enjoy dementia-friendly festival activities and complete daily tasks that allow them to maintain their dignity and best comfort.

Some of the most popular dementia-friendly Thanksgiving activities Touching Hearts NYC in-home caregiver team has been providing include creating a holiday playlist of old music that the elderly loved one living with dementia loves. A personalized music playlist for the elderly loved one living with dementia has been considered as one of the best practices for setting a festive mood for the Thanksgiving holiday.  “Thank you so much for your caring and timely help. We appreciate that you have an outstanding staff who do the job with compassion. Bless them,” said Benjamin L. a client of Touching Hearts NYC.

The award-winning Touching Hearts NYC in-home care team also suggests painting pumpkins or rocks, which could be a great option for people living with dementia. Alternatively, when possible, collecting fall leaves to add to the table centerpiece can also be a good way to encourage the elderly loved one to participate in activities for fun and to help with things around the house. This often creates a sense of feeling valued and included.

“Some changes that come with dementia can make it difficult to participate in holidays that are important to other members of your family, such as meal prep and cooking. Our dementia-friendly in-home care services can help with meal preparation tasks and make it easy and enjoyable for the elderly loved one to participate, like setting out desert or snacks on a tray which provides personal choice and control,” said Craig Sendach, owner of Touching Hearts at Home NYC.

Another dementia-friendly Thanksgiving activity for seniors with Alzheimer’s is spending time thinking back on old memories. This can bring a lot of meaning to the Thanksgiving time of togetherness. This could include going through pictures of the elderly loved ones which can encourage conversations with things like what their favorite food is, or supporting their favorite sports team.

Another popular dementia-friendly Thanksgiving activity is making a gratitude list with the elderly loved one. The in-home caregiver team from Touching Hearts NYC goes above and beyond to work on a list of what the elderly loved one is grateful for. During the process, they make sure to capture life stories, memories, and important details that can be used in the future should memory start to fade. The list can be turned into a gratitude tree by putting small tree branches in a jar with cut-out leaves hanging and showing things the elderly loved one feels grateful for. This gratitude tree task can become a daily practice that offers peace of mind for the elderly loved one living with dementia and also helps family caregivers stay informed and calm.

“When family caregivers spend time and energy looking after an elderly loved one who is living with dementia, it can make family caregivers feel everything is wrong. Because the elderly loved one’s behaviors are changing, and not always in a predictable way. From years of experience, we see family caregivers get tied up, worrying about the future, being frustrated about something that’s in the past,” said Sendach.

“Thinking about something we’re grateful for in times of stress can help us find peace of mind. Whenever we focus on that and connect with an elderly loved one on a personal level, it brings out the positivity and personal bond for the relationship we are building with our client, even if it’s just appreciating the colors are changing for the season through a window,” said Sendach.

Alzheimer’s disease affects not only the seniors who have it but also their loved ones. Nearly a million people in New York City currently are either directly or indirectly affected by this mental deterioration. Seniors with Alzheimer’s must maintain a consistent active routine and adjust to their changing capabilities. Having an in-home caregiver who is trained with dementia care, and has interpersonal skills, patience, and empathy allows a respite for the family and will enable them to enjoy quality family time on Thanksgiving Day.

Touching Hearts NYC’s offers a full range of in-home care services for your elderly loved ones in New York City. From 24-hour in-home senior care to just a few hours a week, all services can be tailored to a client’s needs and means through discussion via an obligation-free consultation.

To learn more about Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care and its NYC-based in-home care services with long or short-term needs, visit https://www.touchinghearts.com/nyc/

About Touching Hearts at Home NYC Area

About Touching Hearts at Home NYC Area – Touching Hearts NYC offers in-home care to aging adults, seniors, and individuals living with medical conditions and disabilities at rates considerably more affordable than care outside the home. The agency is known for Non-Medical Home Care, Companionship and Homemaker services in New York City’s Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Queens, and Rockland areas. Its focus is on providing person-centered care to help those in need remain in their home, maintain the lifestyle they choose, and feel confident they will be treated with the respect and kindness they deserve.