MACON, Georgia — At this time of the year, many families are gearing up to celebrate their holiday traditions.
However, a reality for many is caring for a loved one battling Alzheimer's or Dementia.
It's so tough for families because things become noticeably different, but one expert says there are plenty of alternatives to keeping with tradition.
Like many family matriarchs, 81-year-old Judy Kirkland cared for her children and others in her Warner Robins neighborhood.
"Our house was the house everyone came to after school because she always had red Kool-Aid and brownies," her daughter Beth Perkins said.
For years, Kirkland volunteered in her church nursery, and that likely left a lasting impact on her life.
"She uses the term youngins' quite a bit, bless her heart," Wendell Perkins said. "So, she talks about the youngin's and kids a lot."
Nearly four years ago, Ruth and Wendell began noticing early signs of Alzheimer's.
"One of the challenges we faced was her forgetfulness. When she enters a room of people that she has not seen in the recent past, she does not know who they are," Perkins explained.
The change altered both of their lives, especially around the holidays.
"She has no concept of time, so if we tell her Thanksgiving is next Thursday, she'll start asking in 10 minutes 'Is it Thanksgiving today?" Perkins described.
They are among the thousands of families re-adjusting their traditions because of this. Cat Colcombe with the Alzheimer's Association said people, at first, often do not know how to navigate around this.
"As the disease progresses, we really encourage families to have the conversation with what can make that individual as comfortable as possible while still including them in their family celebrations," Colcombe said.
These include alerting family members of changes since the last gathering, asking the caregiver and, if possible, the person living with the disease what's easiest for them, and consider dialing the gathering back.
"If you have had 50 people or 20 people come over and you've cooked for them in the past as a caregiver, you can turn it into a potluck, [and] you can invite fewer guests," Colcumbe said.
Although things are much different for the Perkins, they still hang on to their traditions and include Judy in those.
"One of the things we do at Thanksgiving and Christmas is we have her come to our house and make recipes," Perkins said.
Colcome also says if you're traveling or planning to stay overnight at a hotel, consider alerting staff your loved one has Alzheimer's.
She recommends letting the staff know at the front to call if they see them wandering.
Also, consider doing gatherings earlier in the day rather than later.
Afternoons and evenings are tough for these people because they're more triggered or just tired from the day.
You can learn more from the Alzheimer's Association here: https://www.alz.org/