How The Love To Move Program Helps Seniors With Dementia
Experts in Japan created chair-based dementia exercise programs to improve the lives of nursing care residents with dementia.
The simple exercises were based on cognitive stimulation, memory arousal, and music.
The results were so positive that the program won full state funding and is now used in every care home across the country.
The BGF was so inspired by the Japanese programs success that they worked with the program leaders to design UK-based dementia exercise programs using those same principles.
BGFs pilot program showed amazing results in seniors with dementia:
- 71% of participants had noticeable physical improvements
- 86% were socializing more with other residents and staff
- 93% seemed happier and more settled
- 100% were easier to connect with
Puzzle Time: Building A Personalized Memory Puzzle
Find a picture of something your loved one cherishes and make a copy of it with your printer. Cut the copy of the photo into 6 pieces in order to have a specific form in each piece. Build and rebuild the image together just like a puzzle!
Our tips to make it more personalized and engaging:
- Talk about the photo – ask them to describe what they see, which colors are included in the picture, etc
- Help them by placing a shape in the correct spot or showing them the real picture as a hint to help them place the pieces together
Get Expert Guidance To Care For Family Or A Friend With Dementia
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Play Old Videos Of Themselves
If youre lucky enough to have wedding videos or other videos of your loved ones before dementia, watching those together can be an enjoyable way to bond and help them remember things about their lives that they have trouble with. Sometimes people with dementia will even just awe at a wedding video and say how beautiful the people in the video are, despite not knowing its themselves. Either way, it sparks joy in them.
For The Love Of Books: Reading A Book Together
Ask your loved one to share their favorite authors or books and select a book you can read together. If necessary, start reading the first few pages and offer to have them read a few paragraphs or lines from time to time.
At the end of your time reading together, write a reading sheet to help you keep track of where you left off in the story during the next reading session. This will help your loved one with Alzheimers to continue tracking the story.
Download an example of a suitable reading sheet here.
Our tips to make it more personalized and engaging:
- Talk with your loved one about favorite books or movies that youve seen together
- What character would your loved one have liked to have played?
If you want your loved one to read alone, you can choose one of the following authors that specialize in creating adapted books for people with dementia who now struggle to read typical or regular books:
Emma Rose Sparrow
Emmas books look completely like regular ones. The books were designed in such a way that there arent any references to its adaptation to cognitive issues. The only difference between her books and a typical book is that there are short chapters, short paragraphs, adapted designs and pictures.
Some of her popular titles: The Sandy Shoreline / What the Wind Showed to Me / Down by the Meadow / The Splendor of Babies / A Dusting of Snow /Autumns Display
Jamie Stonebridge
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Gardening Or Being Outside
Does your loved one have a green thumb? They may not be able to mow the lawn or till a field like they used to, but there are still ways to bring the great outdoors to them.
Buy a small pot and seeds for your loved one to plant. Fill their space with plants and work together to water them every day. If youd rather, spend the day in a community garden or courtyard and enjoy the sunshine together. Being outside has numerous benefits for seniors and is a great activity for patients with dementia.
Encourage An Emotional Connection
For many people with dementia, a sense of movement and rhythm is often retained. Listening to music, dancing, or contact with babies, children or animals provide positive feelings. People with dementia often have excellent memories of past events, and looking through old photos, memorabilia and books can help the person to recall earlier times.The opportunity to relive treasured moments can be deeply satisfying. If reading skills have deteriorated, make recordings for them. Locate picture books and magazines in the persons areas of interest.
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Getting Inquisitive: Playing Word Games
Looking for hidden words, matching pictures and associating numbers in a number line will help your loved one with Alzheimers to maintain their vocabulary. With some simple changes to make them more adaptive, these games can be enjoyed by your loved one and give them a sense of accomplishment. Here a set a set of suitable word games especially designed for people with Alzheimers!
Our tips to make it more personalized and engaging:
Use the material to start a conversation:
- What is your favorite cake, sport, athlete, or animal?
- In the family, who is the best baker, the most athletic, etc. ?
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.
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Creating Your Own Path
Using heavy tape, create a series of lines and shapes large enough for you to walk along. Place one foot in front of the other on the lines and follow the shape of the tape!
Look at the picture as an example to help your creativity!
Our tips to make it more personalized and engaging:
- Imagine that it is a trip : Where do we start from and where do we end?
- What beautiful landscapes can we see there?
Now that you have some new suggestions for activities, you can start wherever you like on the list and try it! Here some of our top tips to make the most of your activity time with your loved one:
- Choose a quiet area
- Find somewhere with good light
- Ensure your loved one is well-settled
- Give clear instructions and share them one at a time
- And stay flexiblewith a lot of tenacity -)
Learn more about our other tips for making your time successful in our blog post Success is key!
I hope all these ideas are useful, and that they allow you to Share the moment & Feel the Gleam!
If youre looking for additional activities to do with your loved one, check out our box of adapted activities for moderate stage dementia thats delivered to your front door every month.
Take care! If you have any questions or would like more information about Gleam in Your Eye, you can send us a note here:
Word And Number Games
Word games can be both relaxing and mentally stimulating. Crossword puzzles, for instance, are great for word retrieval language and reading skills. In addition, sudoku puzzles are good for critical thinking. Brain puzzles at any cognitive level help boost your loved ones problem solving and memory skills.
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Math Lovers: Playing With Numbers
Doing an activity that includes a few simple calculations can help the person with Alzheimer’s maintain their numeracy skills. Build and roll the dices for calculations!
Our tips to make it more personalized and engaging:
- Practice being patient and resist the urge to rush them
- If you find this is too complex for your loved one, consider only using the dice with the lowest numbers
Top Activities For People With Dementia
Dementia is a complex disease that affects the mind and body. It robs people of their memories, sense of self, and eventually life. However, there is still hope for those with dementia through various therapies.
Many activities can help improve the quality of life for those with dementia: from cognitive exercises like reading or puzzles to sensory exercises like knitting or crafts. People with dementia need as much stimulation as anyone else for both therapeutic purposes and improving their quality of life.
Weve put together a great list of activities you can perform with people who have Alzheimers or other forms of dementia that can be as fun as they are beneficial.
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Why Exercises For Dementia Improve Ability To Perform Everyday Tasks
The Love to Move program is based on the concept of performing different movements with the right and left sides of the body at the same time.
Basically, its like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.
These types of exercises take a lot of concentration.
When practiced, they increase the ability for the right and left sides of the brain to process information independently of each other.
This increases the number of neural connections and increases cognitive ability.
The Love to Move exercise program has increased seniors ability to perform everyday tasks like feeding themselves, engaging in activities, and communicating with family and friends.
Coordination and ability to sit unassisted in a chair was also improved.
Stimulating Activities For Alzheimers Patients And Their Caretakers
We highly recommend engaging in stimulating activities on a regular basis. Daily mental exercise can help us save our brain cells and stay mentally sharp.
These activities can be done just about anywhere. So, if you or your loved one is receiving adult day care or home care services these activities can still be done.
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Watching Old Tv Shows Or Movies
Although they may not recall specific details, your loved ones favorite movies or tv shows can stir up positive feelings and can be a great activity to do together.
Studies suggest that the best movie to watch for someone with dementia is something fun and upbeat, shorter in length , not violent, and straightforward in plot and number of characters.
Choose a movie that your loved one enjoys and fits those parameters. While you watch, describe the movie or comment on an actor and see if your loved one wants to discuss the film. Movies are more than just a way to fill the day. In fact, they can be a tool to connect with your loved one with dementia and a great activity to enjoy together.
How Are The Surroundings
His environment is important as well. Be aware of the noise level and the visual cues in the room. Is the environment over or under stimulating? Clutter and noise can impede your ability to engage the person with dementia or Alzheimers. Is the TV on? Turn it off to minimize that distraction. Can you think of other environmental cues that may be a distraction for your loved one?
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Taking A Trip Outside: Having A Picnic
This can be a great way to make meals more enjoyable and spend time outside with your loved one. Prepare sandwiches together, snacks and water, and consider bringing a comfortable chair!
Our tips to make it more personalized and engaging:
- Ask your loved one to recall what their favorite sandwich was growing up
- Ask them to name the ingredients without looking at the name on the package
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:
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Special mementos
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Items that remind the patient of past professions, such as:
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Paperclips, a calculator, and a notepad for a secretary or
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Bolts, sandpaper, and a piece of PVC pipe for a handyman and
Items related to favorite hobbies
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Why Brain Stimulation Is Vital In Alzheimers Patients
Alzheimers disease frustrates doctors and those in the home care services industry to no end. There is currently no cure. And the medications currently on the market arent doing much to halt disease progression.
That is why brain stimulation is one of the top recommendations of those in the healthcare industry. So far, this seems to be the only thing that has provided any hope of preventing or slowing the disease.
According to Time magazine, researchers have found that stimulating brain activities might not halt the actual disease, but it can slow down the appearance of symptoms. In other words, those with the disease wont seem as forgetful or experience forgetfulness as frequently.
Outdoor Activities For Dementia Patients
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Games Puzzles And Around The Home Activities For Dementia Patients
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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