Activities For People With Dementia
First of all, its important to know what is meant by activities. They can be either passive, where someone watches, or active, where two or more people are engaged in the activity. And it doesnt have to be planned. Activities can include life skills around cleaning, organizing and self-care. They can also include social and religious activities or exercise and music.
If you can, try to match your activities with your loved ones current schedule. For example, if they currently like to clean in the morning and go for a walk in the afternoon, continue with that routine. When considering our list of suggested activities for people with dementia, draw upon what you already know about your loved one to follow their interests. If youre unsure what they like to do, consider having a conversation with them about their likes and dislikes.
Regardless of what you choose, dementia activities should aim to:
- Stir memories and allow your loved one to reminisce about their life
- Foster emotional connections with others
- Encourage self-expression
- Help them feel productive
Choose Discovery Village At Sarasota Bay
At Discovery Village At Sarasota Bay, we recognize the difficulties that persons with dementia face. When your loved one enters our retirement community, we will guide and assist them with a person-centered approach that is recognized among the finest in the country. Our SHINE® Memory Care program is designed to repair and maintain what has been lost as a result of their illness. With the continual education and specific training in memory care disorders that both our nurses and certified nursing assistants are through, they create a route for each resident that touches on many key parts of life.
Good Dementia Activities For Seniors At Every Stage Of Memory Loss
Are you looking for good activities for seniors with dementia?
Even if your loved one has dementia, you and your loved one can still have fun and enjoy doing activities together. However, youll want to ensure that the dementia activities you choose are appropriate for the stage of dementia theyre in.
Fortunately, regardless of what stage of dementia your loved one is in, theres a wide range of activities to do with older adults with dementia.
Unsure which games or activities for those with dementia are best for your loved one?
Interested in learning about free activities for dementia patients that you can do with your loved one?
Consider this article your guide on how to entertain an elderly person with dementia. Well break down dementia into its three stages and share the top activities and interactive games for dementia patients at home.
Keep reading to learn more about entertainment ideas for dementia patients.
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Utilize Soft Textures In Their Room
Including soft textures in a dementia patients living space can help them feel calm and safe. Often they will become agitated when their environment is too loud, bright, or chaotic. Putting some soft items into their room- like a thick rug, cozy blanket, or even just some plants- can make all the difference.
Social And Emotional Activities For Dementia Patients
What you need for this activity:
- 10 pairs of wooden shapes such as cubes, rectangular cubes, prisms, spheres, and eggs
Start by spending a few moments having the person look and feel each shape.
Have them observe the different forms each shape takes on when placed down on a different side. Once theyre familiar with the shapes, you can move on to activities that involve touch.
Place the cubes and rectangular cubes inside the bag, and ask the person to reach in and feel one shape. As they pull the shape out of the bag, they verbally say whether the shape is a cube or a rectangle.
You can also play a matching game with the person in your care by placing all of the wooden shapes in the bag, and have the person find matching pieces by feel. Repeat this process until all of the pieces have been paired.
Placing the objects in the bag eliminates distractions and stimulates the sense of touch, while the matching process helps to strengthen cognitive function. – Activities & Games for Dementia and Alzheimers Patients, Elizz Twitter: @ElizzTweets
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Holistic Care For Seniors With Dementia
With Homages Dementia Care Programme, older adults can receive the help that they need at every stage through different pathways like companionship, games and activities, nursing care, and home therapy. Together with our Care Specialists, care plans will be specifically designed for your elderly loved one based on their health status, care needs and preferences, ensuring that they are paired with the most suitable nurse or caregiver.
If you or someone you know need support in caring for a loved one with dementia, we can help. Reach out to our Care Advisors at for a free care consultation.
Activities To Do With Dementia Patients
1. Get physical. Exercise and staying active benefits everyone, and that includes seniors with dementia. Activities such as walking, yoga, tai chi, chair exercises, dancing, and riding a tandem or three-wheeled bicycle can help support a better nights sleep, reduce feelings of isolation and encourage social connections.
And dont forget about the power of touch. Tactile stimulation such as gently applying lotion to hands and arms, brushing or fixing hair, hugging, walking arm and arm, and soothing shoulder massages can help lower blood pressure and reduce stress.
2. Grab an apron. Whipping up an old family recipe, baking and cooking simple dishes, and eating them together is an ideal way to spend quality time with a loved one with memory impairment. Not only do they have the chance to do something practical, but when youre done you get to enjoy a special treat or meal together.
3. Unleash your inner artist. Dementia activities that involve creating art provide ample opportunities for self-expression and creating a sense of purpose. Painting , coloring, drawing and sketching can boost moods and reduce anxiety or depression. Other playful ideas include kneading clay or play dough and making shapes with cookie cutters.
You and your loved one can even make your own music and musical instruments. Grab a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, fill it with coins, dry beans or pasta, and youll have some homemade music shakers.
- Flower arranging
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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
Activity #: Create A Memory Book
The effects of dementia can cause seniors to return to their long-term memories from childhood or their early years, leading them to forget all about the near present. To help them connect, you can assist them in making a memory book. This book can be used to tell their life story and can include things like their family members, accomplishments, and any prized memories.
The creation of this book is a great way to entertain seniors with dementia while they are receiving in-home care because it celebrates them as a person while also giving them something to do with their hands This memory book can also be used as a safety blanket of sorts for times when your loved one has to enter an unfamiliar place like a hospital or elderly home.
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Crochet Knitting Or Other Crafts
Did your loved ones once love to crochet or knit before the onset of dementia or Alzheimers? Try placing their knitting needles and ball of yarn in their handsit might just trigger a memory or even muscle memory. Yes, muscle memory is a real thing, and we have marveled at its effectiveness in memory patients.
Are There Games That Seniors With Dementia Should Avoid
There are a few games that seniors with dementia should avoid, as these can be potentially confusing and frustrating for them, depending on their cognitive abilities.
These include games that require quick response times, such as those where players must answer questions quickly or make quick decisions.
Some games involving physical activity, such as running or dancing, may be too strenuous for someone with dementia. Think Twister!
You should also avoid games that involve deep concentration, detailed hand-eye coordination, or complicated rule sets.
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Rekindle Their Senses With Flavors And Aromas
Have seniors assist you in preparing a meal if they love cooking. The flavors and aromas can rekindle their senses and help them reconnect with themselves again. Depending on the stage, let them take the initiative or simply keep them by your side to watch you add all the ingredients that transform into a magical dish.
Let Them Relive Treasured Moments
Elders with dementia can have excellent memories of the past. Reminiscing about fond memories can make them feel young inside by living those treasured moments again. Show your loved ones a family album or a video. Ask them about the events and let their pleasant memories flash through their beautiful minds.
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Activities To Entertain Seniors With Dementia
Dementia can be an overwhelming syndrome for both the person suffering from it and those who love and care for them. Characterized by memory loss, changes in personality and confusion, the disorders that fall under the umbrella of dementia can impact almost every area of a persons life. Dementia can make it hard for one to communicate his or her needs and be independent, often leading to impaired judgment and the need for professional in-home care services. But this doesnt mean that all of lifes fun has to stop. Those who have dementia need enjoyable experiences to provide them with some sense of normalcy. The list below offers several activities to entertain seniors with dementia regardless of if they are receiving respite care, in an elderly home, or aging in place.
Best Activities For Dementia Patients According To Experts
What activities do you like to do? Why do you like to do them? Just like everyone else, there are some activities that a patient with dementia may enjoy more than others.
Finding activities that tailor to your loved ones interests and talents whether theyve changed with their diagnosis or not is a great way to enrich their lives and can help combat their symptoms, too.
Weve compiled a list of the best activities for dementia patients according to experts. These interactive activities to do with dementia patients are beneficial to them and a great way to spend time together, too.
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Engaging Activities For Seniors With Dementia
When planning activities for dementia patients, the things you choose to do should aim to help them remember their life, aid them in expressing themselves, help them feel more engaged with life, create emotional connections with others and help make them feel like they are being productive.
Getting dementia patients involved in engaging activities like the ones below will provide them with mental stimulation and a host of other benefits, such as reduced levels of depression or anxiety.
Cognitive Activities For Dementia Patients
#1: Play Games
Games come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, such as:
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Shoots and Ladders
Just remember to keep your loved one’s ability in mind and have another game on hand just in case you need to change the plan.
#2: Work Puzzles
Like games, puzzles are a go-to when youre looking for activities for dementia patients.
Not only do puzzles help stimulate the brain, but they also provide social interactions that can help patients and caregivers create positive emotional connections.
In fact, a recent study found that the onset of accelerated memory decline among dementia patients who regularly worked crossword puzzles was delayed by nearly two and a half years compared to those who did not.
Puzzles appropriate for dementia patients include:
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Jigsaw puzzles
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What Is An Alzheimers Busy Box
An Alzheimers busy box is a small, portable activity center that can provide stimulation and help keep patients with Alzheimers disease occupied. The busy box typically includes a variety of simple activities, such as knob turning, sliding beads, flipping switches, and pressing buttons.
Many busy boxes also include music and lights to add an additional sensory element.
The Alzheimers busy box can be an important tool for caregivers, as it can help to provide a moment of respite from the demands of caregiving.
When used in combination with other activities, the busy box can also help to reduce boredom and restlessness. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for managing Alzheimers disease, the busy box can be a helpful tool for many caregivers.
You can make your own busy box like these or purchase one like these.
Try Knitting Or Crochet
Knitting and crocheting are just as enjoyable as painting, but they allow your loved ones to practice their hands and creative abilities. It can be somewhat therapeutic for them, and it is also good for their dexterity. If you want to give your loved one something to do with a little more purpose than painting, try learning how to knit or crochet.
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Monthly Activity Calendars For Seniors With Dementia
Following are links to pages filled with activities per month. These activities are intended for seniors with dementia or Alzheimers disease who are being cared for at home by family caregivers.
Of course, some of these activities can certainly be adapted to a facility setting.
We hope that you find some fun and useful things to do from our suggestions.
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Games Puzzles And Around The Home Activities For Dementia Patients
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Avoid Pointing Out What They Can No Longer Do
When planning different activities for dementia, it is important to take their physical and cognitive limitations into consideration without pointing out what they can no longer do. You can organise games and other leisurely activities that respect their limitations and uphold their dignity as an ageing person at the same time.