Activities

Each person with dementia has their own individual needs. If you are not already familiar with the person you are looking after, try to gain a good understanding of their history by talking to close friends and family members. This simple technique should give you the knowledge of what they like or dislike and will help you to prepare and carry out activities that they will want to participate in. As a caregiver, you will need to become more observant and flexible in the planning of activities as the condition progresses. The person's needs and desires may change due to the effects of Dementia, and the activities should be adjusted to reflect this.

A Few Points To Consider

When planning activities try to simplify them. This will help avoid confusion and stress. For example - don't offer too many choices and give instructions one at a time. Talking about the past can be emotional, and painful memories may be rekindled so it's important for you to be sensitive to this at all times.

Activity Ideas

Memory Box

For people with Dementia, remembering something from their distant past is often more easily done than remembering something that happened recently. A Memory Box is a collection of objects that will provoke these older memories. The box could include photographs from their childhood, major events in their lives (births and marriages), or holiday destinations that they have enjoyed. Try to include anything that could help trigger a happy memory from their lives. Books, poems, trinkets, and scents (such as Grandma's perfume) are all good examples.

Lifebook

A Lifebook is a documented history of a person's life from birth up to present day. Putting a lifebook together is an activity within itself, and could take many months to complete. You should work through the lifebook with the person and prompt them to tell you about all the things that they can remember starting from their childhood and asking questions when necessary to keep them talking. It can include stories, photographs, documents, and anything you think will relate to the stories of that person's life. Once completed, the lifebook can be used to reinforce those memories by using it like a storybook, prompting the person with Dementia to remember and re-tell those stories once again.

Daily Walks

Daily walks in the fresh air are not only good physical exercise, but they can also provide essential mental stimulation. Walking around areas that are prominent places in someone's past could bring back memories that would otherwise remain dormant.

Crafts

Using old material such as newspapers and magazines to make a collage can be rewarding for people who enjoy craft and art activities. Also painting, drawing, colouring and making paper xmas decorations are all good activities if done under your supervision.

Puzzles

Many people with Dementia enjoy doing jigsaws, crosswords and other word or number puzzles. Try to gauge the difficulty of the puzzles to the ability of the person with Dementia so that they don't lose interest due to it being too difficult to complete.

Music & Dancing

This could be listening to music or dancing along to it. Find out what music they are interested in, and then make up a play list (on a computer, cassette, CD) with their favourite songs on.

Pet Therapy

Having animals around a person with dementia can be rewarding if they are known to have liked animals in the past. They will usually respond well to cats, dogs, rabbits and most other animals.