56 Must Do Free Activities for Seniors with Dementia

We all at some stage need to engage in one or more free activities as we go about our daily routines, but seniors with dementia turn to withdraw themselves from such routines.


Therefore it is our responsibility to help them by choosing the right and fun fill activities they will enjoy.


You are at the right place for I have carefully categories 12 free activities to get your love ones engage once again.


All you need to do is relax and choose the one you know you and the patient will enjoy. 


But first you need to know a couple of things first before engaging your love one in any form of activity.

How to choose activities for seniors with dementia

Focus on remain skills

Most of the time you may want to focus on what the person cannot do but remember your goal is to enhance the person’s mood so focus on what the person can do for there is a big chance the person actually loves that.

Focus on the personality of the person

Make sure you know what the patient likes or dislike, you can get more info about this from close family members. 


Or you can check records if available to understand their pass life and experiences.

Try to be consistent

Being consistent is a great way to create a direction in the person’s life.

Expect good and bad days

At some point you may discover that some activities that use to work previously no longer work again. 


So you should expect that and not fill discourage when those days come.

In some cases choose activity you will enjoy too

Since boosting self esteem and maintaining socialization is one of your goals, it will be good to do the activity together for that creates connection and provides a sense of enjoyment.

Choosing activities at the early stage

Focus on retaining remaining skills

You want to focus on maximizing what the patient can do and minimize what they can’t. 


Maximizing their potential helps boost self esteem.

Encourage continuity with current life style

You need to keep encouraging them to continue doing what they have been doing before. 


For example if they have been taking care of the garden you want them to continue at that.

Adapt where necessary

Avoid being to kind to the patient by doing everything for them because your goal is to provide a sense of purpose.

Choosing activities at the middle stage

Require simpler, shorter activities and instructions

Simpler activities help prevent boredom, maintain communication and such activities are good physical health.

More focus on past life activities

Anchor on what the patient use to do before for you want to provide a sense of accomplishments as that will helps boost self esteem.

Activities at the late stage

Shorter, less frequent and less demanding or simple activities

Simple task are just to provide reassurance so that they person doesn’t feel drown. 


Since the patient can’t do much, they need these short and less demanding activities help relief stress and frustration. 


The steps for this kind of task or activity are simplified

Focus on enhancing quality of life

Your goal here is to promote dignity and comfort.

What types of activities could you do with someone with dementia?

Let me start by making a clarification...


Note that there are different types of dementia's and different people have different experience with dementia. 


Therefore, there is nothing like a “dementia activity” but there are activities you can do with seniors with dementia which I am about to clearly summarize for you.  

56 Must Do Free Activities for Seniors with Dementia

I have categorize these activities you can do with a dementia patient into 12 types. 

1. Anxiety reducing activities
2. Calming Activities
3. Activities of daily living
4. Old roles activities
5. Creative activities
6. Half-done activities
7. Sensory activities
8. Physical activities
9. Mental activities
10. Social activities
11. Spiritual activities
12. 5 senses activities

#1. Anxiety reducing activities

Dementia patients are always anxious due to the constant memory losses. 


So you will need activities that can reduce the anxiety and prevent the restlessness. 


Such an activity need to use up some more energy. Examples of anxiety reducing activities are;

1. Brisk walk – to burn off energy in a positive way
2. Sorting objects
3. light a candle using essential oil like lavender 
4. chew bubble gums
5. blow bubbles

#2. Calming Activities

Image by Heike Frohnhoff from Pixabay

Most Dementia patients often feel overwhelm by their environment. 


Calming activities will be of great help here and some examples are;

1. Massages – a little feet massage though not all the time will help calm them.
2. Pet therapy – just sitting down and carrying a dog, cat or any other pet is enough therapy for the patient.
3. Quiet music – music is a charmer and quiet music definitely will reduce the nerves.
4. Sleep
5. Take a cold shower

Check how important music is to our health.

#3. Activities of daily living

Image by Annalise Batista from Pixabay

Activities of daily living are just like the routines we do every day as we wake up from sleep. 


These kinds of activities help maintain the patient’s current skills and encourage a feeling of independence. 


Some activities of daily living can be;

1. Grooming – like the person can do their own personal hygiene and if they need your assistance that’s still fine. 
2. Household chores
3. Toileting
4. Dressing
5. Transferring that is Getting in and out of bad 

#4. Old roles activities

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

These kind of activities help maintain self esteem because you engage the patient with familiar hobbies. 


It is a continuation of some of the patients old roles in their past life. This kind of activity can be;

1. Continuing with a hobby – like if they you love cooking you can continuing doing that.
2. Walking to a former place of employment
3. Shopping
4. Reading news papers
5. Visiting friends and family

#5. Creative activities

Image by annayozman from Pixabay

This kind of activity opens a window for self expression and communication; this kind of activities provides a connection with other people and it is springs out pleasant memories and emotions. 


Creative activities is all about doing it. For example

1. Listening to music
2. Painting
3. Visiting a gallery
4. Snapping Catchy pictures
5. Learning to play an instrument

#6. Half-done activities

This kind of activity helps promote independence and really doesn’t require instructions. 


The essence with this kind of activity is to motivate the patient to complete a started task. For example;

1. Some towels folded on top of the laundry basket – something that has started and needs to be finished.

#7. Sensory activities

Image by Marina Pershina from Pixabay

This kind of activities is essential at the later stage of the disease; such activities will involve utilizing one of the patients five senses so they can stay connected with people and their environment. 


To some extent, it may elicit pleasant feelings and memories. For example

1. Aromatherapy – a smell may make you think of something.
2. Massage
3. Sensory bag
4. Sorting coins
5. Pupping bubbles

#8. Physical activities

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

The purpose of this kind of activity is to keep the patient active, physically and psychologically healthy and of course such activities will require some extra energy. For example

1. Walking
2. Games ( e.g. tossing ball)
3. Adapted sport ( e.g. tennis with a large ball)
4. Exercise (e.g. stretching, chair exercises)
5. Gardening / yard work
6. Doing chores (e.g. washing dishes)

#9. Mental activities

Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay

This is an activity that depends on the state of the individual with the primary aim of stimulating and not frustrating. For example

1. Reading – it will be good for the person to read out loud if they can.
2. Word game (e.g. finish famous saying)
3. Watching game shows
4. Memory games (e.g. kim’s game)

#10. Social activities

Image by Jeniffer, Wai Ting Tan from Pixabay

The purpose of this kind of activity is to keep you engage with people, your surroundings and most importantly to reduce isolation which may lead to depression and much worst. For example;

1. Group activities ( e.g. church, tap dancing, tea party)
2. Visiting (e.g. families, children)
3. Celebrations (e.g. birthdays)
4. Social games (e.g. bingo)
5. Memory maps

#11. Spiritual activities

Image by zachosine from Pixabay

The purpose of this kind of activity is to provide support for the person with dementia. 


The spiritual activity is not necessarily tie to a religion. For example;

1. Singing hymns
2. Walking in nature ( e.g. Forest bathing)
3. Spiritual ceremonies
4. Prayer and meditation
5. Chanting

#12. 5 senses activities

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

The purpose of this kind of activities is to engage one or two of the patient’s 5 senses. For example

1. Watching movies
2. Gardening
3. Baking/cooking
4. Aromatherapy
5. Blind fold games

10 simple ways to engage dementia residents in activities

Ask the person to help you

For most dementia patients, we are used to doing everything for them but doing everything for them isn't the right approach. 


To make the patient feel productive ask them to help you. 


That way, there is some team work and a sense of accomplishment.

Break down the instructions into simple steps

Don’t give foxy instructions like for example “why don’t you handle this why I go do this”. No! Don’t do that because the patient at some stage is going to have a hard time doing the activity. 


Just make the steps really simple like for example “help me let’s fold these towels.”

Demonstrate as you instruct

So here you need to personally show an example on how things are done so the patients can see and follow like for example you bake a cake and instruct the patient to follow the same step you use.

Offer help only when needed

Let say the task you gave the patient wasn’t executed properly, you may assist the patient accomplish that task but only when the assistance is needed. 

Be patient, slow down and repeat

This point speaks for itself, you don’t need to rush things some patients are generally slow to catch-up, if a task need to be repeated over and over just do it. 


Remember your focus is on the patient not yourself. 

Be supportive

When you are being supportive, take care not to also be condescending, little statements like ‘thanks for your help’ will do just fine in supporting the patient for their effort.

Adapt activities to charging skills

At some stage your patient may not be physical apt to do some activities to completion as before. 


So let’s say at first your patient could prepare an entire meal, but can’t anymore, you can just give them a partial task like let say setting up the table for the launch. 


That way you are trying to fit in something related to their pass interest. 

Do the activities with the person

What you are doing here is trying to create a connection with the patient and that’s very important.

Let the person complete a started activity

Here you can start the activity with the person and then ask them kindly if they wouldn’t mind completing the task. 


That way the patient begins to feel your trust in them. 

Let the person do only person of a projects

In a case where the person doesn’t find the project interesting or maybe it is difficult for them, let them just do parts of the project.

Conclusion

Activities for seniors with dementia should definitely be things they normally do enjoy in their daily life, those things that reflect their personality and interest. 


I carefully summarized this different types of activities to clearly highlight the fact that they offer different benefits.   


So tell me which activity you think your patient will enjoyed?