MAKING MOMENTS TO CHERISH

As the festive season approaches, taking time over important details can make all the difference to your loved ones with dementia

For many families, Christmas is an exciting, fun-filled time marked by colourful decorations, a delicious dinner and the constant chatter of friends and family. For hundreds of thousands of people living with dementia though, the festive season can be challenging at best and, at worst, terrifying and confusing.

One in three people born in the UK today will go on to develop dementia in their lifetime, and like so many health conditions it is indiscriminate. Famous faces such as Fiona Phillips, Julie Goodyear and the late Barbara Windsor were all touched by the disease. There are currently 900,000 people living with the condition and numbers are set to rise.

Dr Tim Beanland, head of knowledge and learning at Alzheimer's Society, says, "There are also over 70,000 people with young-onset dementia, which means they developed symptoms before they were 65 and women are much more affected than men. Around two in three people living with dementia are women, while two thirds of people caring for someone with dementia are female."

Which is why, this Christmas, the Alzheimer's Society is offering help and hope to everyone affected by the disease, providing knowledge, support and guidance to help everyone enjoy the occasion. If you are hosting relatives with dementia over the festive period then understanding things might have to look a little different in your home is vital. Five adjustments you could make to your celebrations are listed opposite.

Angelo Makri, Alzheimer's Society's senior knowledge officer for wellbeing, says learning to be flexible is key.

"It's easy to get caught up in Christmas traditions and how things have always been done, but your festive season might begin to look different as dementia progresses."