NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Alzheimer's Association provides a special Holiday Gift Guide for those with dementia and their caregivers, as knowing what to get for those with memory issues can be difficult.
"There are more than six million Americans living with Alzheimer's or other dementias," said Jen Shroyer with Wesley Towers in Hutchinson. "Depending on the stage of the disease, some well intentioned gifts may no longer be appropriate or practical for that person."
Keeping the person living with Alzheimer's engaged every day is quite a task, so there are some gifts that can really help.
"A memory phone that stores the names and the pictures and the contact information of family and friends can help a lot," Shroyer said. "We had that for my mother and she would sit for hours and just go through all of those. It was like the first time she's seen them or something. That's a great gift idea."
The most important gift you can give a dementia caregiver is the gift of time.
"My sister and I traded off every other weekend for my dad when he was taking care of Mom," Shroyer said. "Just giving them time, things like self-made coupons for going over and doing some things for them like house cleaning or cooking a meal, mowing the lawn, shoveling the driveway. That helps out that caregiver, a lot."
For more information on how you can help, go to alz.org or if you are a caregiver and have an immediate crisis, call the 24/7 Helpline at (800) 272-3900.
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