Talking to kids about Alzheimer’s and dementia ahead of family gatherings this holiday

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Before Kelsie Houston and her kids celebrate the holidays with family, she will keep reminding them, “Why, you know, Nana is reacting differently, why, their uncle is acting differently. We have a long unfortunate line of early onset dementia in my family.”

Houston believes in open honest conversations about aging with her four and six-year-old children.

“Like hey, someone may ask you the same things multiple times,” she said, “and that’s simply because their brain doesn’t work the same as mine and yours does.”

The Alzherimers Association recommends parents and their children learn about the disease and what to expect.

“My kids were great,” said Douglas Panto, Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Virginia community programs manager. “They had tons of questions which was very helpful because it they directed that whole conversation.”

Panto’s kids were eight and 12 when he taught them not to argue and correct Grandma. Just go with the flow, he told them. Panto said that opened an interesting connection.

“They were sharing their imagination with each other, and it was just amazing the conversations that they had,” he said.

Houston went online to quench her kids curiosity.

“My kids wanted to see the brain,” she said. “So, I’m on Google seeing what a normal brain looks like … what a brain looks like with someone who has Alzheimer’s and dementia and the shrinking.”

The Alzheimer’s Association offers online resources for more education and activities for connecting families that can be meaningful and fun, and bring joy to the holidays for years to come.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.