Things For Dementia Patients To Do With Their Hands

November 23, 2022

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Why Do Dementia Patients Fidget

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If a dementia patient is anxious or stressed, you can usually see it in their hands. They are likely to pull at their clothes, wring their hands, rub their skin, or twist their fingers if they are afraid, upset, or agitated. Fidgeting and associated behaviors are how people with dementia deal with their discomfort.

Just Be With The Person

If you are comfortable just being with the person, you may choose to simply sit and spend time with the person, and respond to anything that they might be doing or noises they might be making.

Sometimes there will be lovely moments when the persons facial expressions sparkling eyes, a smile or a grip of the hand will indicate that the person is noticing and responding to our attempts to reach out to them. However, there will be other times when the person doesnt open their eyes or even appears to turn their head or body away from us, which can make us wonder whether we are getting through to the person. It is important to continue to relate to the person as if they are still able to understand what you are saying.

Barbara Pointon cared for her husband Malcolm, who had dementia, right until his death. She says Malcolm had a very expressionless and stoney face in the very late stages of his illness. She believes that he had lost his ability to synchronise his facial muscles to smile . As a result care staff and visitors thought their efforts were having no effect. Barbara had to remind them that, although Malcolm could no longer outwardly express pleasure, they had no way of telling what his feelings were inside. As she said, We must always trust that feelings are still there.

Using Technology To Stay In Touch

Technology can be a great way for people with dementia to stay in touch with family and friends and socialize online. Some ideas include:

video conferencing using apps such as Zoom and Skype
playing interactive games or puzzles with others using dedicated dementia apps
watching videos on YouTube

People with dementia and their family members will need more care as symptoms worsen over time and their health declines.

Many types of care are available, depending on the level of support a person needs:

Adult day care centers and respite services: These can be ideal for short-term stays for people with dementia and can give caregivers a break also.
Long-term care at home: This may range from general to professional care. Unpaid family members, licensed healthcare professionals, or live-in caregivers may provide care.
Residential care: This includes assisted living facilities and nursing homes.
Hospice services: Healthcare professionals can provide hospice services in the home, at a hospital, or at a hospice facility.

Various organizations offer further support for people with dementia and their family members. These include:

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Where Does Your Loved One Live

Mom is in middle stages of dementia, with a bunch of memory loss, but still able to do limited activities.

Some of these will be good for loved ones being cared for at home like Mom is, some will work for a dementia patient staying at assisted living or even in memory care.

The key is to find at least a few meaningful activities that YOUR loved one Alzheimer’s disease or dementia likes doing!

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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Bake Their Favorite Dish Or Dessert

People with dementia commonly suffer from depression because they dont know what is going on around them, even forgetting that their loved ones are still there for them. Cooking or baking together can be one of the most therapeutic things to do together, plus allow you to make some old favorite recipes that theyll really enjoy. Or you can bake their favorite dessert or treat that they can smell and taste and have those memories rush back.

Sensory Activities For People With Dementia

Stop and smell the roses Studies suggest smells trigger more vivid emotional memories than images, according to Harvard scientists. This is because scents are processed by the hippocampus and the amygdala, the same parts of our brains that control memories. A familiar smell like flowers from a childhood garden or freshly baked Christmas cookies can elicit positive memories and emotions. Conversely, its important to avoid smells that cause anxiety. Diesel fuel and gunpowder are common PTSD triggers for older veterans.

Explore familiar objectsTactile exploration can bring up memories that may not be accessible through pictures or verbal prompting. Even if your loved one doesnt remember their first car or their wedding, the feeling of weighty keys or hand-embroidered pearls could encourage reminiscence.

Have a taste of historyLike smells, tastes can elicit emotions and memories. Your moms famous chocolate cake could bring back birthdays a sip of instant coffee could recall quiet, early mornings at home.

Feel diverse texturesUnique textures provide sensory stimulation, as well as memory cues. If your aging family member is a pet lover, consider the soft fur of an animal. If they liked to garden, suggest touching damp soil or leaves. Textures can also be used for fulfilling activities try making a bag of fabrics or blocks to be be sorted by touch.

Tried And True Alzheimers Activities

So many of the lists about Alzheimers or Dementia activities look like someone took a list of baby games and put them online. Well, my Mom is not a child and she doesn’t want to do kid things, she wants to do adult tasks.

Buying her a 6 piece puzzle of fire trucks will not work! Imagine if you had to sit around all day with no mental stimulation you would go a little stir crazy too.

These activities are all ones that we do with Mom on the regular and that keep her amused for much of the day!

Take Care To Choose Safe Activities

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Its important to find activities that are safe. You know your older adult best and can choose what works best for them.

For example, some older adults tend to put things in their mouth. If thats the case, avoid anything that could become a choking hazard.

Other seniors may like to tie strings around fingers and restrict circulation.

If your older adult has any unsafe tendencies, be sure to avoid anything that could be dangerous for them.

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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.

Why Do People With Dementia Clench Their Fists

Those suffering with dementia can often be seen clenching their fists. Sometimes the grip is so tight that it actually pains the person if you try to unclench their fist. This is not an uncommon behavior in someone with dementia, specifically Alzheimers or Lewy Body Dementia . Clenching fists seems harmless in comparison to some other things that dementia does to a person, but it can in fact cause some very serious issues. So, in this post we want to give you as much information as possible so you can help your loved one prevent serious side effects.

Sensory Activities For Dementia Patients

#1: Get Cooking

Theres nothing quite like cooking to stimulate all five of your senses. Cooking is the perfect activity for dementia patients at home or in memory care.

Not only is cooking practical, but it also delivers a tasty treat as a reward.

Allow your loved one to do as much of the process as possible, always keeping safety at the forefront of your mind.

Depending on their abilities, your loved one may create the entire recipe from start to finish.

Or, they may only be able to help with a step or two. And if they are unable to perform any of the processes but are interested and engaged, they may benefit from simply watching you cook.

Keep it simple with recipes such as:

No-Bake Cookies

#2: Look at Scrapbooks

Looking through photo albums is a wonderful way to bring back favorite memories and spark meaningful conversation.

Lend a listening ear as the senior reminisces over their photos.

Ask questions to help them remember, or encourage them to create simple stories about what they see.

#3: Do Pasta Threading

Threading pasta is not only a fun activity, but your loved one can wear the end product as evidence of their success.

Simply use colorful yarn and plenty of dry pasta with big holes, such as:

You can easily make a needle by wrapping masking tape around the end of the yarn .

Your patient can even create patterns by using different colors of pasta or varying the types of pasta.

#4: Work in the Garden

Fill the garden with edible plants such as:

How Do You Keep People With Dementia Entertained

Do something personal.

Give the recipient a lotion-infused hand massage to relax them.

He or she should brush his or her hair

Provide the individual with a manicure

Make a collage out of images of the individual youre interviewing

Encourage the individual to speak more about topics that interest them.

Create a poster of your family tree

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How To Make A Fidget Blanket

Before you start making your fidget blanket, you should gather a variety of items from your home or a craft supply store.

We include a variety of items and textures for sensory stimulation including zippers, buttons, buckles, ribbon, silk, and bells, Kimberly shares. Choose bright colored materials and interesting buttons made from different shapes or materials like glass or wood.

Youll also need fleece, scissors, and heavy-duty thread.

To begin, cut two pieces of fleece into a lap-sized square. Using the heavy-duty thread, begin sewing the different items onto one piece of fleece.

You have to make sure everything on the fidget blanket is reinforced because someone with Alzheimers or dementia might pull on them or put them in their mouth, says Kimberly.

Once youve sewed on all of your items, take the second fleece and line it up under the first piece so the stitches are hidden. Make two-inch cuts all around the border of the two fleece pieces. Then tie these pieces into knots.

Your completed fidget blanket is now ready for use!

Ten Tips For Communicating With A Person With Dementia

We arenât born knowing how to communicate with a person with dementiaâbut we can learn. Improving your communication skills will help make caregiving less stressful and will likely improve the quality of your relationship with your loved one. Good communication skills will also enhance your ability to handle the difficult behavior you may encounter as you care for a person with a dementing illness.

Set a positive mood for interaction. Your attitude and body language communicate your feelings and thoughts more strongly than your words do. Set a positive mood by speaking to your loved one in a pleasant and respectful manner. Use facial expressions, tone of voice, and physical touch to help convey your message and show your feelings of affection.

Get the personâs attention. Limit distractions and noiseâturn off the radio or TV, close the curtains or shut the door, or move to quieter surroundings. Before speaking, make sure you have her attention address her by name, identify yourself by name and relation, and use nonverbal cues and touch to help keep her focused. If she is seated, get down to her level and maintain eye contact.

Listen with your ears, eyes, and heart. Be patient in waiting for your loved oneâs reply. If she is struggling for an answer, itâs okay to suggest words. Watch for nonverbal cues and body language, and respond appropriately. Always strive to listen for the meaning and feelings that underlie the words.

Activities For Dementia Patients: How To Do Them And How They Help

When you are a caregiver for someone with dementia, life can seem bleak at times, both for you and for them. Activities for dementia patients can relieve stress and make the days go a little easier. They can bring you closer together, but they can benefit the person with dementia in many other ways, too. All you need is a little free time, a few props, and the right attitude to plan and supervise helpful activities.

Benefits Of Dementia Activities

Dementia activities serve a variety of purposes. While you are supervising, it is important to keep in mind that these activities are more than just time-killers. They are a way to lighten up and relax, but they are so much more. As you engage the senior with dementia, focus on the benefit they may receive.

Help Them Sleep Better

Activities for people with dementia give them a time to move around, challenge their bodies and their minds, and maybe even get some fresh air. They are not so difficult that they aggravate medical conditions like arthritis which might lead to nighttime aches and pains. One result is that they may sleep better at night.

Improve Their Self Esteem

Stimulate Their Mind

Engage Them In Social Situations

Ease Their Depression

Activities For Seniors With Dementia

Physical Activities For People With Dementia

These physical activities are simple and require few props. Physical activities can work on strengthening major muscle groups, fine motor control, and cardiovascular health.

Remembering Activities

Before A Planned Hospital Stay

Purposeful activities for dementia: Alzheimer’s Australia VIC

With Alzheimers disease and related dementias, it is wise to accept that hospitalization is a when and not an if event. Due to the nature of the disease, it is very probable that, at some point, the person you are caring for will be hospitalized. Keep in mind that hospitals are not typically well-designed for patients with dementia. Preparation can make all the difference. Here are some tips.

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During The Hospital Stay

While the person with dementia is in the hospital:

If anxiety or agitation occurs, try the following:

Remove personal clothes from sight they may remind the person of getting dressed and going home.
Post reminders or cues, like a sign labeling the bathroom door, if this comforts the person.
Turn off the television, telephone ringer, and intercom. Minimize background noise to prevent overstimulation.
Talk in a calm voice and offer reassurance. Repeat answers to questions when needed.
Provide a comforting touch or distract the person with offers of snacks and beverages.
Consider unexpressed pain . Assume the person has pain if the condition or procedure is normally associated with pain. Ask for pain evaluation and treatment every 4 hoursespecially if the person has labored breathing, loud moaning, crying or grimacing, or if you are unable to console or distract him or her.
Listen to soothing music or try comforting rituals, such as reading, praying, singing, or reminiscing.
Slow down try not to rush the person.
Avoid talking about subjects or events that may upset the person.

Going To The Hospital: Tips For Dementia Caregivers

A trip to the hospital can be stressful for people with Alzheimers disease or another dementia and their caregivers. Being prepared for emergency and planned hospital visits can relieve some of that stress. This article suggests ways to help you prepare and tips for making your visit to the emergency room or hospital easier.

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Picking Appropriate Activities For Your Loved One With Dementia

The activities listed below span a large range of functioning levels, but you can use these ideas as a springboard and adapt them for your loved ones current ability level and interests.

I have a daughter with autism, and when she was in school I would meet with her teachers periodically to update her IEP . I feel like Im doing the same kind of thing for my mom now. I call it her IAP .

Just as everyone with autism is different in their abilities and functioning level, so it is with folks with Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. We as caregivers are chasing a moving target when looking for appropriate activities for our loved ones. Their abilities and functioning levels are changing all the time. Sometimes from day to day. Im constantly adjusting activities for my moms current level of functioning. I find some days she can do complex activities that would be impossible and totally frustrating for her other days.

My mom is currently in the middle stages of Alzheimers, and I have to be careful the activities I plan for her dont look too juvenile.

She notices.

I can, however, get away with some kid activities if I have one of my children participate. She thinks shes babysitting. This is a double win as shes engaged and feels useful. Though I do have to keep a close eye on things when my kids participate. Mom is having more frequent episodes of,

ahem, just not being nice,

and I have to be ready to pull my kid away if things start going south.

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