Keeping Up With Dementia and the Holidays
One of my favorite bloggers and one of the wisest, more courageous people I've know is Leah, who suffers from dementia, as well as the challenges of coping with several family tragedies. Here, Leah speaks about dementia and the holidays:
"The holidays are rapidly approaching, and I am not the only one having trouble keeping up, I am sure. Ten members of my family, including myself, will be having a real Christmas dinner this Sunday at my house. I have had to enlist the help of my housekeeper this year. (My helper usually comes just one day every two weeks for four hours and cleans the “public” areas of our home.) My dementia doesn’t allow me to be able to handle all the excitement of a dinner party; I want to be able to talk and be with the family without worrying about the final heating of food and putting the food on the table. This Christmas is very special; my little eight year old nephew has been living with a brain tumor since early summer. St. Jude’s has helped reduce the tumor a little, but there is not a lot of hope that he has many years left. We need to build memories NOW."
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