The Best Holiday Gift Is a Smile

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The Best Holiday Gift Is a Smile

(Source: The Alzheimer's Store) - As family and friends immerse themselves in

the holiday spirit one seemingly insurmountable challenge is the annual dilemma

of what to buy someone who themselves are immersed in a disease. But the answer

really is simple and it differs little from the principles that apply to

everyone - a gift that generates a smile.

There are three keywords regarding gifts for people with dementia: familiarity,

" old faithful " and success.

•Familiarity - For someone with Alzheimer's or other form of dementia, a gift

that is already familiar to them requires little explanation and is always

accompanied by long term memories. This alone is a formula for success.

• " Old Faithful " suggests that if it worked before, it will work again, i.e., if

Mom liked the red sweater last year, then she'll probably like it again this

year. The seemingly inappropriateness that you are repeating the gift may no

longer apply (or find one that is slightly different).

•Success refers to the fact that with this disease, success is a rarely achieved

feeling, so simple, easy-to-understand games and products bring success much

closer - for both the gift recipient and the gift-giver.

If you can find a present that shares all three of these characteristics, you've

hit the ball out of the park. Keep in mind also, that everyone is different and

people may be in different stages of the disease. But there's one more

ingredient, that only you are the expert in, that is - knowing your loved one

and what works best for them.

Here are a few gift suggestions:

•Simple Puzzles - For the puzzle lover who may no longer be able to assemble the

1000 piece puzzle, consider a puzzle of fewer pieces, such as 12 or 24.

•Warm Clothing for Chilly Days and Nights - People in the later stages of

dementia may no longer be able to communicate discomfort, though they may feel

the cold just as much as you or me. Plus, older skin thins as we age and the

insulating layers of fatty tissue beneath diminish. Look for light-weight,

fashionable warm materials that are as pretty (or handsome) as they are

functional.

•Hobby-related Gifts - For the man who always toyed with projects in the

workshop then something as simple as a tool box is a sure and practical winner.

For most, this gift is an item of pride, familiarity and function.

•Gifts That Solve a Problem - For many with dementia, the TV remote is as much

an obstacle to watching TV as finding a good show to watch, despite the 300

channels we have to choose from. All the extra buttons - for video, DVD, etc. -

are very confusing. But there are remotes that offer only a few buttons - for

volume, on-ff and channel selection only.

•Calming Comfort - Though it may be hard for many of us to fathom, people with

Alzheimer's regress, that is, as they lose their short- and mid-term memory

(leaving only their long term memory). To us on the outside, they seem to move

backwards in time. What is most familiar and comforting to them are now items

that generated those feelings many years ago, perhaps even when they were

children. As such, soft, tactile stuffed animals and dolls once again offer the

warmth and comfort they did once before. They require no explanation, they do so

much and they certainly generate smiles.

Where can you go to find these gifts? Visit the Alzheimer's Store online at

alzstore.com or call us at . If we don't have the right product for

your loved one we will head you in the right direction.

Other suggestions might include:

A warm, soft robe

A picture album

A warm sweater

A night gown

Photos of the family

Soft, comfortable slippers

Old books on topics of interest

Costume jewelry

A blanket, quilt or warm comforter

A home visit from her beauty parlor hairdresser or manicurist

Children's books (with simple, interesting pictures)

Pictures drawn and colored by the grandchildren

Videos of baseball or football games (perhaps that you may have recorded

yourself)

A box of cookies or chocolates

A pretty purse or hair accessories

Have a very Happy Holiday!