Hi everyone and happy new year!
I need some advice on something that seems like a very small problem, but it would make me feel a lot better if I could sort it out.
I'm getting married next month, and my Grandma, who has had dementia for about 5 or 6 years is obviously going to be there.
I have thought for a while, but it has become apparent over Christmas that she gets very stressed when she is in crowds of people, and this is made one hundred times worse when she doesn't know anyone. It's understandable really that she worries that she should know some but doesn't...can't remember people's names...is expected to make small talk etc.
When it all becomes too much for her she tends to pick a fight with my granddad and /or my mum and wanders off in a mood. She makes various threats of going home and won't be comforted.
Although I really want her there, I don't want, for her own sake for her to work herself into a state, but also selfishly I don't want this on my wedding day! I don't want the worry, and I don't want my mum upsetting herself too, as she did on Christmas day.
We have said that we will take plenty of taxi numbers and as soon as she wants to go we will call her a taxi (which unfortunately means that my young at heart granddad will miss the rest of the day too). Is there anything else we can possibly do to keep her happy on the day? There will be about 80 people there, of which she will know about 20. We can keep her out of the main crowds as much as we can, but I am at a loss to think of anything more.
I need some advice on something that seems like a very small problem, but it would make me feel a lot better if I could sort it out.
I'm getting married next month, and my Grandma, who has had dementia for about 5 or 6 years is obviously going to be there.
I have thought for a while, but it has become apparent over Christmas that she gets very stressed when she is in crowds of people, and this is made one hundred times worse when she doesn't know anyone. It's understandable really that she worries that she should know some but doesn't...can't remember people's names...is expected to make small talk etc.
When it all becomes too much for her she tends to pick a fight with my granddad and /or my mum and wanders off in a mood. She makes various threats of going home and won't be comforted.
Although I really want her there, I don't want, for her own sake for her to work herself into a state, but also selfishly I don't want this on my wedding day! I don't want the worry, and I don't want my mum upsetting herself too, as she did on Christmas day.
We have said that we will take plenty of taxi numbers and as soon as she wants to go we will call her a taxi (which unfortunately means that my young at heart granddad will miss the rest of the day too). Is there anything else we can possibly do to keep her happy on the day? There will be about 80 people there, of which she will know about 20. We can keep her out of the main crowds as much as we can, but I am at a loss to think of anything more.