As dementia progresses, many activities and hobbies may become too difficult or frustrating for a person to continue. But that doesn’t mean that seniors with dementia should be left to sit and do nothing. Providing regular access to enjoyable pastimes is an important part of successful dementia care. 

If you are a caregiver for someone with dementia, you should know that enrichment tasks not only help prevent boredom but provide therapeutic value as well. Engagement with something that feels satisfying helps reduce anxiety, depression, anger, and agitation. In some cases it can even reduce confusion and sundowning. Even though activities for seniors with dementia may look different, they are invaluable.

Look for activities that provide interest without a high risk of failure or frustration. This may mean different things for different people, but we’ve selected a list of ideas to start with.

Helping Around the House

Research suggests that seniors who feel they are making a contribution to their environment have higher quality of life than those who don’t. Performing simple household tasks can help a person with dementia feel that they are contributing, or allow them to relive memories of caring for their families. 

Don’t focus on doing things the “right” way. Rather, provide opportunities to go through a process that feels meaningful to your loved one. These activities often provide a range of textures that are therapeutic to explore as well. Examples may include:

• Folding laundry like dish cloths or t-shirts
• Sorting mixed ribbons, fabric scraps, or buttons
• Screwing and unscrewing hardware from a board
• Caring for houseplants (watering, dusting, wiping, trimming dead foliage, etc.)
• Arranging live or silk flowers
• Measuring ingredients for baking
• Polishing and sorting silverware
• Washing windows
• Dusting
• Cutting out or organizing coupons

Playing Games

Games are an enjoyable pastime for everyone. Many games are still fun for seniors with dementia. Avoid games that require a lot of math or strategic reasoning that may cause stress. 

Not only do games provide social stimulation, many board games offer therapeutic benefits. These benefits include practice with sorting, matching, short-term memory activities, pattern recognition, sequencing, and more. Games like these are satisfying and stimulating, and can help slow the pace of cognitive decline when played regularly. 

• Simple board games like Chutes and Ladders, Life, or checkers
• Matching card games, such as solitaire or go fish
• Jigsaw puzzles or photo puzzles
• Exploring with pattern blocks such as tangrams 
• Word games such as word search or large print crossword puzzles

Creative Expression

Even if your loved one was not previously interested in arts or crafts, creative expression is incredibly important for brain health. Arts and crafts activities for seniors with dementia should not be too structured or goal-oriented, as this can cause stress and anxiety. Instead, focus on the process more than the outcome. Non-verbal forms of self-expression take on a new dimension and importance as spoken communication grows more difficult.

Exploring with colors, textures, and even smells also provides mental stimulation that can stir up old memories and increase cognitive function. Try many different varieties of creative expression and look for those that elicit a positive response.

• Writing or drawing in a journal
• Cutting and pasting pictures or words from magazines
• Modeling with clay or play-dough
• Painting with watercolor or acrylic paints
• Drawing with markers or colored pencils
• Coloring books

Try New Things Regularly

As dementia progresses, it can cause changes not only in memory but in mental processing, communication, and even personality. Sometimes, families are surprised to find that their loved one enjoys activities now that they never used to. 

Don’t be afraid to try new things, or to revisit activities that previously didn’t “click.” Memory often relies on cues and triggers. A color, a smell, a texture, a song, or even a muscle memory can all stimulate recollections and bring back ideas and memories that may have seemed lost. 

Are you caring for a loved one with dementia and looking for additional help and support? Click here to read about our support groups and other resources for families dealing with a dementia diagnosis.

After a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in a loved one, families sometimes resist the idea of memory care. In the beginning, dementia can feel manageable at home. But eventually, in most cases, the time will come for professional help. Learning how to talk to your family about memory care and plan for the future is the first step of a good dementia treatment plan.

What is Memory Care?

Memory care is the name for a type of assisted living especially for seniors with dementia. Like all assisted living, memory care aims to provide the greatest possible independence and safety. However, we recognize that as dementia progresses, safety requires supervision and intervention.

A memory care residence should feel like home; one structured specially to support brain health and cognitive function. The result is a living space in which every item can have therapeutic value.

We staff this carefully prepared environment with aides and nurses specially trained in dementia care. This means that no matter what happens throughout the day, each resident always has access to caregivers who understand their unique needs.

We’ve even re-imagined simple  daily activities and meals in therapeutic ways, like adjusting recipes to reduce choking risks and improve nutrition. Residents participate in a schedule of exercise and activities that stimulate the brain and strengthen cognitive function.

Memory care also has different security than other senior living options. This way residents may freely walk and explore their environment without risk of getting lost or hurt.

How to Talk to Your Family About Memory Care

Once you understand what memory care does, you can easily see why it’s so important. In its early stages, dementia care can happen at home. But as the condition progresses, the time, skill, and attention required of caregivers grows. In most cases, dementia will eventually require full-time residential care.

It’s wise for families to work together and plan ahead about dementia care as soon as there is a diagnosis. You can lead the way by helping to break any stigma or taboo that your family members might be feeling. Talking about dementia and memory care as normal things can help make it easier to discuss and plan together.

Ask questions that will help your family think about the future and what they hope for. Be realistic about what you can expect from yourself and each family member. Know what you can do and commit to no more that. Many families begin with wonderful and loving good intentions but can end up frustrated, exhausted, or trying to provide more than their training or ability allows.

Why to Talk to Your Family About Memory Care Now

You may feel like these are questions that can be answered later, or that it’s better to plan as you go. Many families do take this approach. Unfortunately, because dementia is unpredictable, lack of planning often leads to serious problems.

Families that are unprepared for the realities of memory care get overwhelmed more easily. They are more likely to experience burnout, a condition that causes caregivers to experience depression, anger, anxiety, and withdrawal.  And their loved ones are more likely to suffer complications that result from inexperience, such as infections.

When families don’t plan ahead, they are also more likely to put their loved one through a rushed or last-minute move. This is painful for any elderly person, who can struggle to adjust to sudden changes. This is especially damaging and difficult when dementia is involved.

Planning ahead can help prevent these problems. Know what to expect for the specific diagnosis your loved one has received. Learn what symptoms will tell you that it is time to begin transitioning to memory care. The best way to provide what your loved one needs in a timely way is to have a plan before they need it.

Does your mom or dad need memory care? Are you looking for caregiver support or respite services? We can help. Click here to contact us today and speak with an expert about where to go from here.