What Activities Are Good For Alzheimer Patients

Finding Activities For The Elderly With Alzheimer’s

Structured group activities very seldom work. Simple, brief activities offered several times a day are the most effective and beneficial types of activities for Alzheimer’s.

Activities such as housework and simple games can help to maintain motor skills. Listening to music is also a very calming and engaging activity.

The focus should be on the person and not the condition. Try to match people with activities that suit their background and experience.

Games And Activities For Alzheimers Patients

According to the Alzheimer’s Association in the US, Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that shows symptoms such as a reduction in memory and thinking. It affects behavior as well, and is slow in onset, progressively developing over time so that it eventually interferes severely with a patient’s daily functioning.

The family of Alzheimer’s patients find adjustment difficult and need guidance, as well as support. Following is a list of activities and games that caregivers, family, and friends can enjoy together with an Alzheimer’s patient.

Folding Laundry And Socks

Another activity that can help with dexterity is folding laundry or socks. This task requires fine motor skills, which are often severely impaired in dementia patients, but it also helps boost their mood and gives them a sense of purpose while allowing them to clean their own space and feel accomplished.

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More Ways To Stay Active And Involved At Home More Ways To Stay Active And Involved At Home

Keeping in touch with people using technology Keeping in touch with people using technology.

Coronavirus made it more difficult to visit friends and family in person. However, there are many ways to keep in touch with people virtually from your home.

Devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones offer many great ways to communicate with other people.

You can use them to:

• send emails and different types of instant messages
• make video calls, such as on Skype and Zoom
• share and connect with people on social media, such as , and
• join online communities, such as Talking Point
• play online games with others.

Touchscreen technology such as tablets and smartphones can be easier to use than desktop computers. If youre not sure about how to use these devices, a friend or family member might be able to help you.

Activities Must Be Stimulating

It’s important that dementia patients stay active physically and mentally as much as they are able. This is why youll want to choose activities that stimulate your loved one’s mind and senses.

A great way to do this is to keep an eye out for things that your loved one loves to do or things that they enjoyed in the past. For example, if they had always owned a dog, they may find pleasure in having a stuffed dog to pet and care for.

Engage your loved one in conversation. If they’re unable to respond, you can give them a play-by-play account of what you are doing. For example, talk with them about the steps you’re taking to prepare the meal or describe the dish you are drying. Even if the person is unable to respond, they will benefit from hearing your voice.

Encourage your loved one to be involved in daily life, with activities such as setting the table or folding laundry. This will help them feel a sense of accomplishment and success.

Are you considering memory care for your loved one who is suffering from dementia? Senior Services of America can help. Our years of experience and extensive knowledge direct you to the senior community that will best meet the unique needs of your loved one.

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Fidget Toys Like Bubble Poppers

Fidget toys are a relatively new thing, mainly among children and pre-teens. But fidget toys can also be a great tool for memory care facilities to use for dexterity therapy. The fidget toys called pop-its are like plastic bubble wrap that require users to push a small round bubble in varying patterns and colors. It is fun and intended to alleviate anxiety in young children and can be just as beneficial for elderly folks with anxiety.

Activities And Games For Patients With Alzheimers Disease

As a caregiver of someone with Alzheimers, you can use games and activities to help stimulate their mind and senses.

Alzheimers disease is often known as the long goodbye not only because of its ability to affect someones cognitive and functional abilities, but also their emotions and moods, behaviour, and physical abilities, leaving behind a shell of a once-vital person that family and friends barely recognize. This can be tough to witness, but there are some ways you can continue to engage with the person in your care and spend quality time together.

Alzheimers disease affects everyone differently, so its often difficult to predict how it will progress, the symptoms , and the duration of each stage .

Since there is no cure, people with Alzheimers, and their caregivers, rely on treatment plans prescribed by the doctor, plus lifestyle changes to slow the progression of the disease.

Caring for someone with Alzheimers can be as rewarding as it can be emotionally and physically challenging.

Its difficult to watch someone you know struggling to perform everyday tasks and your natural reaction may be to just take over. However, research shows that people in the early stages of Alzheimers can still acquire and process new information, helping them to learn or improve their performance on cognitive tasks, so its important to let them try the task themselves, as long as its safe for them to do so.

DementiAbility method activities

What you need for this activity:

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Get Creative In The Kitchen

The kitchen is a gathering place for a family, and many family traditions revolve around food. Whether its baking cookies from scratch or making a meal together, theres no reason your loved one cant take part.

Again, youll want to make sure the activity is appropriate to your loved ones abilities. Assign them tasks such as mixing or decorating cookies. Provide help with measurements or tasks like chopping vegetables.

Your loved one will have a sense of accomplishment when they help make a delicious treat or a meal for the family.

Some Ideas For Simplifying

Over the course of your loved ones Alzheimers journey, it will be necessary to simplify activities to match his abilities. For instance:

• A life-long reader may eventually enjoy being read to, and then progress to just looking at the pictures.
• A love of gardening may go from gardening, to cutting flowers, to weeding, to watering plants, to watching squirrels.
• A regular round of golf, or a weekly night of bowling may progress to walking only.
• Playing music or singing may progress to listening to music only.
• Preparing the evening meal may eventually progress to folding dinner napkins, and can be a very engaging for the one with Alzheimers.

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Great Activities For Dementia Or Alzheimers Patients At Home

Tips For Choosing The Right Activities For Dementia Patients

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Activities Can Give Relaxation And Pleasure

A person with dementia may enjoy an outing, even if they do not remember where they have been. What is important is that the moment is enjoyed, even though the experience may be soon forgotten.Simple and unhurried activities are best. Give the time and space necessary to allow the person to do as much as possible. Focus on one thing at a time. Communicate one instruction at a time. Break down activities into simple, manageable steps.

Encourage Hobbies Like Knitting

Many caregivers believe their loved ones have to give up hobbies like knitting or painting. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

These sorts of hobbies can provide stimulation for your loved one. Activities like knitting take a good deal of skill and concentration. Painting and other artistic activities allow for self-expression.

Always be sure the tools and activity provided are appropriate for the patient. For example, knitting needles can be sharp. Heavy needles could cause aches and pains if your loved one has arthritis.

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Music Is Therapeutic For Many Alzheimers Patients

Much has been written about how beneficial music is for people with Alzheimers. Much like reading or playing games, engaging with music is a stimulating activity.

Your loved one may enjoy playing an instrument or singing along to their favorite songs. Doing so also provides a creative and emotional outlet for patients. Old songs may even allow patients to share memories connected to music.

Music-making can also be a social activity. Find out if there are senior music programs offered in your area.

Engage Them In Their Favourite Activities

Doing their favourite hobbies and interests them can be a great way to engage them in stimulating activities. Its always useful to ask your loved one what they might like to do first, so that you can make sure activities are really tailored to them. One way of doing this is by asking them to show you their favourite hobby.

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What Sorts Of Activities Are Most Effective

The following ideas may be used on a one-to-one basis and others may be suitable for small groups depending on their abilities. Some of the activities suggested are Montessori based, developed to promote and maintain existing skills.

Some activities such as sorting, pairing, matching and puzzles should be offered once and then repeated twice during the week. Despite having poor recollection, people living with Alzheimer’s can still learn through practice and repetition.

Most activities that require movement: grasping, pressing, pushing, gripping, extending, scooping and reaching are helpful in improving hand-eye coordination. These types of activities also provide sensory stimulation and promote well-being.

If utensils or tools are to be used, make sure they are adapted to the needs of individuals. Supervision at all times is essential.

Household Chores Can Give A Sense Of Accomplishment

You may think household chores like folding laundry are tedious, but for Alzheimers patients, theyre rewarding.

These simple tasks allow your loved one to help you, even in a small way, which makes them feel useful and important. Completing the task can give a sense of accomplishment too.

If you can, try to tackle chores together. Be sure the tasks you assign to your loved one are appropriate for them.

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Adapting Activities For People With Alzheimer’s Disease

Doing things we enjoy gives us pleasure and adds meaning to our lives. People with Alzheimer’s disease need to be active and do things they enjoy. However, its not easy for them to plan their days and do different tasks.

People with Alzheimer’s may have trouble deciding what to do each day, which could make them fearful and worried or quiet and withdrawn, or they may have trouble starting tasks. Remember, the person is not being lazy. He or she might need help organizing the day or doing an activity.

Creative Activities For Dementia Patients

#1: Paint

Creating art provides the opportunity for individual expression and may improve memory.

If you’re worried that allowing a dementia patient to paint may be messy, you may be right. Try using butcher paper, so your loved one doesn’t have to worry about making a mess and you dont have to worry about clean-up.

#2: Make a Memory Box

Assemble a box of items that are special to your loved one.

You can include things like:

• Special mementos

• Items that remind the patient of past professions, such as:

• Paperclips, a calculator, and a notepad for a secretary or

• Bolts, sandpaper, and a piece of PVC pipe for a handyman and

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Suggested Activities For Stage 1 Alzheimer’s

There are seven stages of Alzheimers disease, according to the Alzheimers Association, and each stage has different needs for the in-home caregiver.

In the early or mild first stage of Alzheimers disease, a person will experience frequent short-term memory loss, coordination problems, depression, and other symptoms. This stage can last two to four years before the disease progresses.

When providing home health and home care resources for your friend or loved one with Alzheimers at this stage, always remember that while this persons mind is deteriorating, they are still an adult. Any activities that you provide for them should be intended for adult use, not children. Its also important to provide an activity that the person has previously enjoyed, and not something that is completely new or could cause frustration.

Meaningful Activities For Dementia Patients: 15 Ways To Keep Your Loved One Engaged

Are you searching for enjoyable, stimulating activities for your loved one who is suffering from dementia?

You want to do all you can to enhance their quality of life, bring them joy, and reduce harmful behaviors but where do you start?

If youre looking for ways to engage your loved one with dementia, youre in the right place.

Here, we will discuss a wide variety of therapeutic activities for dementia patients, so you can choose the activities that best meet your loved one’s needs.

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Tips To Remember About Games And Activities For Alzheimer’s Patients

Patients with Alzheimer-related dementia will, as the disease progresses, eventually need help to plan their day. Activities and games need to be structured in such a way to keep the person happy and offer an overall sense of security and stability. This is very important and can help a lot to limit behavior like wandering and agitation.

These games and activities are also effective to structure time for an Alzheimer’s patient. If they are well-planned, they will help diminish confusion.

An often overlooked aspect is that the caregiver should enjoy doing these activities with the Alzheimer’s patient. This is likely to create a sense of togetherness and connectedness to another person for both, experiences that are regularly missing from these patients’ lives.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, patients with dementia need activities that offer certain benefits. Ideally, the games and activities:

• Bring joy, meaning, purpose and hope to the person’s life
• Use the person’s skills and stimulate the brain
• Preferably involve family and friends
• Offer an overall sense of normalcy
• Focus on the process and not the result.
• Build the person’s self-esteem, and the feeling of being useful, also strengthening a sense of self-worth
• Offer a sense of accomplishment.

Activities At Home

Remember to keep safety and the patient’s ability top of mind when planning these activities.

Organize Special Days or Performances

Games for Alzheimer’s Patients

• Building puzzles

Activities For Dementia Patients: 50 Tips And Ideas To Keep Patients With Dementia Engaged

The prevalence of Alzheimers disease and other types of dementia is on the rise, yet the cost of dementia care options continues to grow. For many, family caregiving becomes the most practical and cost-effective solution, at least for a time. Keeping dementia patients actively engaged in everyday activities and cognitively challenging tasks is beneficial for both body and mind and, in some cases, it can even slow the progression of the disease. Staying active and engaged can help to reduce dementia sleep problems, as well.

Weve put together a list of 50 tips and ideas for keeping dementia patients active and engaged through everyday activities, outings, cognitively challenging tasks, and social and emotional activities, many of which can be used throughout most of the stages of dementia. Youll also find a few helpful tips for selecting activities that are appropriate based on the patients interests, abilities, and other considerations.

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