Supporting a loved one living with dementia at Christmas
Christmas tips for families supporting a loved one living with dementia, plus respite options and practical ways BaptistCare at home can help during the festive season.
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12 December 2025
Stories
| Home Care
When someone you love is living with dementia, Christmas may not look quite the same. But with the right support, and by leaning into what feels familiar, it can still be a beautiful and meaningful time, whether your loved one is at home or visiting from a residential aged care home for a few special hours.
In this article:
- How to prepare for Christmas when a loved one is living with dementia
- Simple, meaningful ways to involve your loved one and create connection
- How BaptistCare at home can support you and your loved one during the festive season and throughout the year
Preparing for the big day
If someone you love is living with dementia, a calm lead-up to Christmas can help the season feel more comforting for them and more manageable for you. Try to avoid places or situations that are too noisy or busy, as these can easily become overwhelming. Familiar places and routines that feel predictable and reassuring can help your loved one feel safe and supported.
This might mean:
- Keeping Christmas celebrations smaller or quieter
- Preparing simpler menus
- Decorating with familiar ornaments
- Playing favourite Christmas music
- Setting up a peaceful space for your loved one to retreat to if needed
Caring for someone living with dementia can be challenging and Christmas may add extra layers of pressure – preparing food, hosting family, managing changed behaviours, navigating emotions and trying to keep the day calm. You don’t have to do it alone.
Respite care
BaptistCare at home provides different kinds of flexible respite care that you may find particularly helpful as you prepare for – or recover from – the busy Christmas season.
Most people are familiar with traditional residential respite, where your loved one stays away from home for a short period of time and receives round-the-clock support. BaptistCare at home offers short-stay cottage respite and centre-based respite in home-like settings as well as emergency respite in a residential aged care home, when unexpected situations arise.
What many families don’t realise is that BaptistCare also offers in-home respite, where a care worker comes into your home so you can take a break while your loved one remains in their familiar environment. This may be especially helpful in the lead-up to or in the wake of Christmas – giving you time to prepare food, shop for gifts or recharge afterwards, knowing your loved one is in safe, caring hands.
Learn more about in-home respite in our previous blog.
Including your loved one in Christmas preparation
Engaging your loved one in simple activities in the lead-up to Christmas can help them feel involved in the celebrations without becoming overwhelmed. Try cooking easy recipes together, creating crafts, wrapping gifts, writing Christmas tags or encouraging them to hang their favourite decoration on the tree.
If you live in NSW or the ACT and you’re looking for extra support, consider BaptistCare at home social clubs. These clubs are another form of day respite, offering a safe, supported place for older people to spend the day while their carers take a well-earned break. They provide gentle activities, companionship and routine in a familiar, community-based setting throughout the year, supported by trained staff who understand memory loss and changing needs. In December, many of our clubs celebrate with festive craft, music, shared meals and other Christmas activities.
Our Ashfield Social Club for example has a calendar of Christmas events, including making pavlovas, creating Christmas cards, Christmas quizzes and trivia, and their much-anticipated annual Christmas lunch.
On the day
The sensory stimulation associated with Christmas – happy conversations, joyful music, the aromas of cooking and the sound of children playing – can sometimes feel a little overwhelming for someone living with dementia. Keep things simple and flexible by offering clear, gentle cues and involving them in small, meaningful tasks on the day such as helping to set the table, arrange the flowers, or choose the music.
You might also consider:
- Reducing background noise
- Offering step-by-step reassurance about what’s happening as it happens: “Now we’re going to watch the children open their presents.”, “Now we’re going to sing some carols”, “Now it’s time for Christmas pudding,” and so on. This helps your loved one understand how the day is unfolding.
- Keeping the pace unhurried and expectations realistic
If your loved one lives in a residential aged care home and will be visiting for Christmas, you might encourage them to bring along a comforting item such as a favourite piece of clothing or cushion, a photo or even a playlist of their favourite songs to help ease the transition into your household.
Christmas for a loved one living with dementia might be about enjoying the small things – humming along to a Christmas carol, talking about the old days, or helping them pull a Christmas cracker.
It’s also possible your loved one might not know it’s Christmas, but they might recognise an old song, enjoy the lights on the tree or love wearing a paper hat. If they are visiting from a residential aged care home, shorter visits often work best. Two or three hours together can preserve the joy and avoid fatigue.
Winding down and returning home
As the day draws to a close, you may notice your loved one becoming tired or confused. This is very common. The excitement, changes in routine and sensory stimulation can all contribute to what is often described as ‘sunset fatigue’.
A gentle wind-down helps:
- Move to a quieter space
- Dim bright lights
- Offer a favourite cushion, light wrap, or comfort item
- Play soft, familiar music
- Continue to provide simple, soothing explanations about what’s happening
If your loved one is living at home, settling in together with a cup of tea or refreshing drink in a quieter area can help everyone rest and relax after the celebration. If they are returning to a BaptistCare aged care home, our team will welcome them back calmly and warmly.
Finding moments that matter
Christmas with dementia rarely looks the same as it once did but it can still be beautiful.
It might be seeing your dad smile, holding your partner’s hand or mixing gingerbread with an elderly friend. It might be just a quiet conversation on the veranda as the celebration winds down. These are Christmas moments too, and they can be just as tender, meaningful and full of presence as Christmases past.
At BaptistCare, we believe Christmas is not about recreating what once was, but honouring what is beautiful right now. And whether your loved one is at home or in one of our residential aged care homes, we are here to support you through every season, every celebration and every step of the dementia journey.
🌟 Learn more about BaptistCare at home dementia support
If you’d like to explore how BaptistCare at home can support you and your loved one – at Christmas and throughout the year – visit the link below.