Hope, Joy, Love, Toward better care

7 ways to bring joy to your dying mom at christmas

December 17, 2018: This is the second time I’ve written about Gloria Gallagher and her daughter BJ. The first article is here. Gloria has lived with Alzheimer’s disease for more than a decade. She’s paralyzed from the neck down, and so she cannot move her arms or legs. She can’t get out of bed, and has a hard time articulating what she wants to say. She’s been “this close” to death numerous times. And yet, she and her daughter, author BJ Gallagher, make the most of their visits together.

You too can bring Christmas joy to the life of someone living with dementia by emulating BJ’s techniques. Here are seven ideas:

  1.  deck her out in festive finery
  2.  just be with him
  3.  listen
  4.  agree (hear all the creative ways BJ does this in the video below)
  5.  be positive
  6.  love, love, love him
  7.  give her a jar full of stars

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