20 Creative activities for dementia patients

Image by Marjon Besteman-Horn from Pixabay

Creative activities stimulate the brain, and are known to create significance even in a non verbal manner through the power of imagination. 

Dementia patients often observe a steady decline in cognitive ability; short term memory, speech and thinking are affected in some patients. 

According to a study by Australian scientist from Neuroscience Research Australia, published on the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease under the title “Not everything is lost”, Alzheimer’s disease destroys memory but develops creativity in some patients. 

The part of the brain responsible for inspiration and sensory abilities seems to wake up thus offsetting the devastating effect of the disease on other parts of the brain.  

“Creative abilities such as painting or singing that have not yet manifested themselves in humans can occur or improve in patients with Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal dementia.”

This study shows that the region of the brain associated with artistic creativity is save from the disease and that area even works far better like to try and compensate the loss in the ability to remember. 

Creative activities are known to reactivate inactive skills in patients but in most case it depends on the patient’s needs, form, stage and evolution of dementia. 

Organisations like Active Minds specialize in creating activities for dementia patients with a range of abilities to improve their quality of life. 

Benefits of creative activities to dementia patients

Creative activities are enjoyable, entertaining, meaningful and are rewarding especially when something is being achieved.  Here are some benefits: 

• Helps to maintain self esteem. 
• It is a good way to have some family time together and maintain a social bond. 
• Helps in exercising the memory. 
• Works on your concentration and performance.  
• Slows down the progression of dementia.
• Helps curb the tendency of self withdrawal. 
• Helps maintain old skills. 

Creative activities are often link to the person’s hobby and interest event before dementia symptoms showed up.

The priority of every activity is for the senior to feel good during their development. 

When choosing a creative activity, the ability or capacity of the concern person should be considered in order not to lead to frustration. 

Here are some activities dementia patients enjoy indoor and outdoor.

20 Creative activities for dementia patients 

1. Music and dance can be a standalone or group activity. Such activities are known to stimulate motor skills and mobility, helps patients to express their emotion and confidence. Choirs are great place to start.  The priority of such activities is to help the patient enjoy the art other than treating the disease. 
2. Reading poems and stories awaken stories heard in childhood.  
3. Painting, drawing and collage can be done with little material. 
4. Visiting a museum can be an exciting sightseeing opportunity. 
5. Gardening is a pleasant outdoor activity that’s always recommended for dementia patients. Create a place where a patient can plant seeds and watch them grow. It maintains motor skill and memory.  
6. Pottery, sewing and writing workshops if possible should be done with a group, as group activities help to diversify daily routine and also establishes a structure of development. A repetitive structure often helps patients who often cannot remember what the current month and time is. For example, activities that are done with respect to a season (spring, Christmas etc.) will help the patients to better orientate their time. 
7. DIY craft for skillful seniors promotes dexterity, builds positive attitude and makes the senior feel useful. 
8. Calendar shoots would be loved by the senior. 
9. Bell ringers for Christmas, a create way for better orientation of time. 
10. Bridge group
11. Puzzles, people with dementia often have a memory decline, but puzzles help you think.  
12. Distant ousting, fun activities but often hard to organize.  
13. Animal visit, most seniors find companionship in pets, dog walking brushing is very therapeutic. 
14. Folding towels, If the senior is able and lives with you, bring towels from the laundry dryer for the senior to folds them, a load of towels can take the senior up to an hour some days, the senior may not always fold them correctly, but you shouldn’t care much as it keeps the senior occupied and he/she feels they are helping you. You can do this for any laundry, even if you ask the senior just to sort it, keeps them busy, anything that matters, i.e. shirts, pants that wrinkle and socks are a great distraction. Once the senior is done, thank him/her, take them away out of their sight and fix what needs to be fixed and you are both happy. On a day where the senior is agitated and you have no real laundry, you can grab the face cloths/ tea towels out of the cupboard, put them into the dryer for a few minute to warm them and bring them for the to fold.
15. Become a handyman, visit a hardware store and get some tool, tighten screws into wood, connect PVC and see how the fit. Such activities can stimulate the inner imagination.
16. Mechanic, if you have passion in restoring old cars, then playing with cars parts can be fun. Visit car events and watch online videos on how to fix or restore cars.    
17. Create a playlist of your favorite songs and listen whenever you are in the mood. 
18. Caregiver, babies seem to generate a positive response in people with dementia. Interaction between the elderly and children is known to be therapeutic. Arrange for a meet up with children. There are many caregivers support group out there. 
19. Nintendo Wii when played with the old console is great for seniors. 
20. Cooking and pastry, realizing a complete recipe elicits pleasurable memories. Cooking shouldn’t be complex for doing basic things like setting up the table or finding kitchen utensils is very suitable.

Creative activities can prevent Mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a state between the serious cognitive decline and the normal decline of dementia in normal aging but the person will still have symptoms such as memory loss and can evolve to dementia. 

Mayo Clinic Rosebud Roberts and other researchers carried out a study to see if creative activities reduce Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).  

The team surveyed 256 men and women age 85 – 89 who all had normal cognitive function.

All participants were evaluated using the clinical Dementia Scale (CDR) and had a neurological examination including evaluation of memory ability.
   

All participants were monitored for 4 years and at the end of that period 121 of the participants developed MCI. 

It was observed that participants, who engaged in creative activities such as drawing and sculpture, had 73% lower risk of developing MCI than those who didn’t engage in such activities.
  

45% of those who engage in craft like ceramics and handicraft saw a 55% decrease in MCI risk than does who did not. 

Basic Computer usage like shopping and internet search saw a 53% decrease in developing MCI risk.

To conclude, it was seen that, control of the blood pressure level to normal can prevent Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and creative activities such as painting, DIY craft and arts are hobbies that play a protective role.     

How to engage a dementia patient in a creative activity 

Care should be taken when engaging a patient into an activity for it is imperative to find appropriate activities to the changing mood and skills of the patient.  Here is how to engage a dementia patient in an activity. 

Be calm: Lay down simple and easy to do task and carefully guide the patient on how to do the task. Remember your primary goal is to engage the patient in action and not to help you. 

Be patient and don't be discouraged: In the early stages of dementia, patients respond easily to recommendations but during the later stages, they may need more encouragement so it is of great importance to be calm and try to encourage them.

Adapt the activities to the current situation: As the disease turn to worsen, the patient may lose their skills, so adapt activities according to the progression of the disease. Replace difficult activities with simple and easy to do task. If your love one refuses an activity, it may be that they are not in the mood at that time, so try a little persuasion but do not use force. 

Time: Make sure your love one takes regular breaks like say 20 minutes when engaging in an activity to avoid fatigue. 

Security: Chose an activity that won’t injure the patient during or after completion of the task. 

Help with preparations: people with dementia often go through tough time trying to plan an activity, just help them in planning one and you will be surprise in what the person will come up with. 

Choose simple activities and give clear instructions: Activities should be broken down in to step-by-step instructions so that the patient understand and feels happy. 

Divide and do the activities together: Join activities are great; each person has a role to play. Plan the activity in such a way that you can finish what the patient cannot do.    

Expression, artistic, creation: The activity should be plan in such a way that the patient can express his/her self. 

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11 Faith-based Activities For People with Dementia

Faith-based activities that involve repetition, motor movement, and are simple in meaning are likely to be more engaging for someone diagnose with Alzheimer’s or any other related dementia disease. 

Religious activities have an emotional component that makes such activities comforting and motivating to the person engaging in them.

Most religious ceremonies and rituals have procedures that have been repeatedly practice over a lifespan thus for such extensive practices, they have automatically become nature and require no thinking abilities to do them.

Attachment and reverence to one’s religious traditions and belief can remain strong during cognitive decline.

Emotional attachment to religious cuing and corresponding activity can be an implicit source of comfort and joy for the participant with Alzheimer’s disease. 

For example, spinning a dreidel amy produce feelings of fun and excitement for an elderly Jewish man who did this in childhood during Hanukkah. 

Though he may not consciously recall the event, the activity itself can cue the emotional response associated with the task.

What are faith-based activities?

These are regular self care activities that are done to address the needs of the body, mind and spirit. 

Planning a faith-based activity for dementia patients 

• Personal history of the participant needs to be developed. 
• Identify which religious and faith-base activities would be appropriate for the mental condition.
• Behavioral programs and behavioral prescriptions for example religious activities can be used to abate or mitigate agitation and facilitate active involvement and mobility. 
• Religious activities can be used as a part of environmental design. 
• Faith-base activities that require explicit memory skills, attention and concentration should be avoided for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. 
• Activities such as tense scriptural study, elaborate storytelling and deep meditation are Inappropriate since they require good working memory and concentration. 
• Activities that focus on damage skills or are modified to account for damage abilities are apt to be used more effectively in adults with Alzheimer’s disease. 
• Other activities like pilgrimages, such as Hajj (i.e., pilgrimage to Mecca) are obviously rigorous endeavors for someone who is well and would be extremely problematic for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. And exposure to such intellectual activities may confuse or frustrate participants with Alzheimer’s disease. 

11 Faith-based activities for people with dementia

Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay

Reciting the rosary 

Reciting a rosary is effective given its repetitive, calming nature and executing the motor skills of moving the beads. 

Religious Music 

Being soothed by a familiar songs or hymns brings strong memories they sang when they were kids.

Childhood memories are a common topic for someone with Alzheimer’s disease because of their continued ability to recall information from this period. 

For this reason, an activity like music can focus on memories from the past may have a better chance of being utilized that activities that focus on the more recent past. 

Recitation 

For someone in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, reciting favorite verses or prayers, familiar scriptures (e.g. the Beatitude; the Lord’s Prayer; the Ten Commandments) are all appropriate activities.

Ritualistic Prayers 

Ritualistic prayers can be incorporated, given the highly familiar nature of the task, thus those in the early stages of the disease can conduct a perpetual novena, a ritual involving lighting a candle and focusing a prayer on a particular request.   

Chanting the name of a deity or Om for short 

This can be a simple activity for someone given it is well practiced and possesses deep spiritual significance. 

Yoga 

The movement component of yoga, if the person is well practiced can be applied given that this well rehearsed and does not require explicit memory; however given demands on attention and concentration, prompts during this particular activity may be necessary. 

Create an alter or shrine 

Building a shrine out of reverence and servicing the shrine with appropriate offerings of incense and food depending upon the tradition would be an appropriate activity for the Alzheimer’s patient. 

Religious artifacts and rituals 

This can be done with many other religions, using arts and craft to focus on a particular belief is appropriate. For example, religious coloring books and looking through religious artwork can be implemented with ease. 

Emotion salience and repetition 

For a Muslim with Alzheimer’s disease, facing towards Mecca to pray (a.k.a. Salah), singing of sacred songs or hymns, and holding of religious symbols or icon such as the Koran are appropriate.   

Religious services

Attending churches or other religious ceremonies can lift the person’s mood and give more meaning to their life. 

“A study, published in the journal American Sociological Review, showed that 28 percent of individuals who attended a religious ceremony every week were “extremely satisfied” with their lives, as opposed to the less than 20 percent of people who did not attend services” source 

Holding Religious objects

Holding a sacred object (e.g. scriptural book, artifact, and symbol) Feeling secure performing a religious ritual and being awed by holding an item associated with one’s faith can have a powerful important to the person’s mental health.

What else did I live? Please let me know. 

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17 Enjoyable Activities for Wheel Chair Bound Seniors

Thinking of activities to do together with a wheel chair bound senior can be quite challenging. 

Don’t worry I got everything covered. 

These activities are not just a way to pass some time, they are fun, enjoyable, and should be done together and are good for the senior’s well-being.

Serve the senior with a whole range of activities you both can do together and let them choose the ones they will like to do. 

Here is my to-do-list of activities you can look forward to.

17 Enjoyable Activities you can do with a Wheel Chair Bound Senior 

  

#1. Spent time making tea or baking- most senior find the smell of bake bread pleasant. 

#2. Do a story telling exercise with the senior – old people are the greatest story history book I know of, they have had a lot of experience in their youthful life and you are equally going to learn a couple of things too.

#3. Go out for a meal – seniors appreciate good food no matter their condition being wheel chair bound may just be a limitation with regards to mobility but not an excuse for the senior not to enjoy the good things of life.

Image by Antonio Valente from Pixabay

#4. If the senior is pet friendly, contact pet therapy and arrange for some friendly dogs of different fur and skin to come play with the senior. 

This way the senior will enjoy different textile sensations, the love and affection from the dog.

#5. Ask starter questions – the kind of questions that can make old people talk for hours about their good old days. 

This kind of activity is better done in a calm environment like a park. 

Questions like how they met their spouse, what their kids are like and how they got their first jobs will elicit beautiful stories.

  

#6. Take the senior to a garden to feel and get the smell of some fresh flowers. Forest bathing will be good, it is a new trend and the chemicals trees emit have been proven to have health benefits.

#7. Search for massage therapy programs senior’s can attend or go for a spa so the senior can get a spa.

#8. Do a story keeping project – most very old people are probably veterans, they may like to record their story in some format. 

#9. Take the senior outside preferably the early and late hours of the morning when the sun is just rising so that they can feel the sun, the heat, the smell and the wind. 

#10. Visit an amusement park and have a horse ride. There are a couple of farms set up for disabled people you can search online. You can early just go for a simple walk in a city park.

Image by Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay

#11. Attend a banquet if there is any in town at the moment. Great way to meet people and have lovely chats. 

#12. Go out for a merry go-round ride, they are quite enjoyable. 

 

#13. Go for a swim, a hot tub with water bubbles is a feel good experience. seniors surprisingly have mobility in water. 

#14. Hide and seek games will be good as well. 

#15. Go through their albums and show the pictures you see there so the senior can tell you all about it. 

Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay

#16. Help the senior with chores for example taking the trash out, cleaning the dishes etc. 

#17. Play Wii games – Wii games are a blast for seniors especially those will the original Nintendo consoles. 

Image by WikimediaImages from Pixabay

best Wii  games to play are xenoblade chronicles, Wii party,  super mario galaxy 1 and 2, mario kart Wii, Wii sports resort , monster hunter tri, mario strikers: charged, the conduit, mad world and many world. Most of this games cost on average of 20$ to 40$.

#18. Wheelchair Yoga

 

There are tons of activities for wheel chair bound seniors; these are just a few you can look up more.

Now pick one and go have a blast!

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[Discover] 74 Simple Memory Loss Support Activities For Dementia Patients

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Finding the right memory loss support activities for a senior with dementia is the first step of averting behaviors this disease brings and that’s simply will give the caregiver break from the constant supervision. 

Giving the prevalence of this disease over the year, it is necessary important to develop therapeutic activities.

But due to cognitive impairments associated with Alzheimer disease and similar dementia, many activities cannot be done or neither do they hold the adults attention for a reasonable length of time.

During most of the process, procedural memory skills and emotional attachment are largely spared. 

Thus, activities that focus on existing skills or are modified to account for damaged abilities are apt to be used more effectively in adults with Alzheimer’s disease.

74 Simple Memory Loss Support Activities For Dementia Patients

These are some great memory loss support activities you can do on a daily base with your love one with dementia.

Let's get started...

1. Photo albums: this is a cool activity to do together, you both can look through the photo album, ask your love one questions about who the people in the album are, and things they did. 

You can also make a family tree of immediate with pictures and names of immediate family members, this may prompt memories you still think your love one still have. 

You'll be surprised at some of the people your love one may remember anything about his/her pass is good. Some people find photo album to be their worst triggers especially when they are confuse.

2. Painting or coloring by number: If your love one is into painting, they are lots of kits you can get with numbered sheets, paint or pens on Amazon, there are some for adults and some for kids. 

Because some seniors regress back to childlike behaviors, they will also love the kits for children.  

Search pain or color for kits on Amazon or any other shopping site you like to use! You can also buy wooden kits at the Dollar Store (kid’s kits - airplane, helicopter, bird house, robot, etc.) They come with glue and clear instructions. 

Your love one can puts them together and then paints them with acrylic paints. When your love one is anxious you both can paint. 

To be honest, I find it very relaxing as well. You can also go online to find free botanical printable - that are very simple - print them on card stock/heavy paper - and your love one either colors those or paints them with water colors. 

It really eases anxiety. You can also just take a bunch of bird houses on your family vacation (a kit you can buy on Amazon) and everyone in the family can get into painting them. 

Happily, they may be artists, and their bird house may be beautiful. Now the only problem will be to figure out what to do with all of the painted wooden arts!


3. Indoor corn hole: corn hole is a flexible game that can be played during family reunions and several other come together events. Though this game is mostly played outdoor, in backyards and packing lots, it can also be played indoors. Learn how to play indoor corn hole if you don't know how to go about this game.

4. Folding towels and cloths: You can use the Konmar method to fold kitchen towels together. This is a very handy activity that keeps your love one busy and makes it easy for you to sort towels whenever you need them. There are 3 easy methods to fold you can learn.




5. Sorting buttons: buttons are great sensory toys as they come in different colors and shape and sizes. For seniors who have regressed back to childlike behaviors, they will love this activity as it is going to assist them learn more colors. 

You will need to get a jar of buttons and a muffin tray at variety store. Your love one is going to sort out the different colors with the help of the muffin tray. 

Sorting buttons will help the senior’s concentration and memory, motor skills, Hand eye coordination and helps the senior in problem solving.

6. Word search puzzle: word search puzzle is fun games to play and not just only fun but they are educational as well. This game can be played online but you can print them and present to your love one on a hard copy. 

You can equally create your own word search puzzles with simple word search makers on better still search for free printable online. 

There are several word search games you select for your love one some are, Disney like Disney animated movies, Food and Drink like types of food, Science like algebra word search, Music like famous bands, Animals like types of dogs, kids like finding Nemo.

7.  Card games: Research has it that card games can improve basic learning such as numerical counting and improves executive functions. Card games are great at testing cognitive ability. 

Each person partaking in the game is trying to figure out what cards the other is holding. You can order your own Cards with family photos on them to help trigger curiosity. Playing Cards games will improve social interaction.   

8.  Scavenger hunt: sometimes you can both go on scavenger hunts in the grocery store, and once a month or so you can take your love one to a Home goods store and try to find an obscure item. 

Scavenger hunt or you can it call treasure hunts is a good physical activity that stimulates the mind, reduces stress, boost motor skills, and enables cooperation and navigation. 

I went on a treasure hunt with my grandpa, last week she had to find three items, not including food that had a number on it (not the price tag)...there are literally a thousand things you could do. 

9.  Plant a tiny succulent garden: Buy tiny pots and have your love one paint it, buy succulents from any home depot around you, and a small bag of dirt, have your love one transplant the succulents to the tiny flower pots and care for them...it will gives the person something to care for, and will watch them grow!

10. Toss a ball: Like get a kid basketball hoop, the one you can put inside a room that sticks to the wall, the get a soft ball your love one can toss into it. With Hand eye coordination games, any age can play, and keeps your love one moving. 

11. Coupon clipping: You can get coupons for internet printables , purchase them online, magazines etc. to get them for free, you can ask friends or check them out at your local library.  

The best free coupon site online are SmartSource, SlickDeal, RetailMeNotEveryday, ShopAtHome etc.   

12. Sweep and Wipe off patio furniture or garden furniture is an outdoor activity that keeps the senior active.   

13. Sing favorite hymns: Seniors generally have a high participation in religious activities so singing hymns will just engaging. 

14. Read out loud: a study from the University of Waterloo in Canada shows that loud reading is beneficial to your health, it boost verbal memory, sharpens your focus, increases vocabulary, and of course exercises your memory.  

     15.  Ask to visit friends, neighbors or other acquaintances that have a baby.  

     16.  Use the vacuum cleaner and do some house chores as a form of physical exercise. 

     17.  Read classic short stories to elicit fun memories and have a happy moment. 

     18.  Playing horse shoes will raise your heart rate and it is also a light activity. 

     19.  Bake cookies for seniors who love baking. 

     20.  Have afternoon tea for tea helps in body stability. 

     21.  Make a fresh fruit salad and have a good snack. 

     22.  Bake homemade bread and enjoy your own recipe.

     23.  Listen to polka music if you are into such music. 

     24.  Water house plants if you are into some sort of gardening. 

     25.  Make sewing cards from recycled greeting cards.  

     26.  Have a spelling bee great for cognitive impaired seniors.

     27.  Look at family photographs to elicit great and fun memories.

     28.  Finish nursery rhymes great for cognitive impairment. 

     29.  Cook hot dogs outside with friends and family.

     30.  Wipe off dirt on the table. 

     31.  Make homemade ice cream and enjoy with family members. 

     32.  Make a family tree poster and put the names of each family member under their picture.

     33.  Make cream cheese mints. 

     34.  Dance especially tap dancing is a great physical activity. 

     35.  Have a calm pet in to visit and scrub the fur. 

     36.  Plant a tree in your environment to partake in tree planting events. 

     37.  Reminisce about the first kiss.

     38.  Make a May basket for it helps with hand eye coordination.

     39.  Make a Valentine collage. 

     40.  Take a walk to strengthen feet.

    41.   Give a manicure and pedicure. 

    42.   Cut out paper dolls and decorate using colored papers. 

    43.   Take an adventurous ride and get some desired fresh air. 

    44.   Make a basket of socks helps with concentration and hand eye coordination.  

    45.   Make paper butterflies. 

    46.   Put coins into a jar.

    47.   Rake leaves help with memory.

    48.   Roll yarn into a ball helps with hand eye coordination.

    49.   Weed the flower bed. 

    50.   Make birthday cake, a cherry pie and a cream mints. 

    51.   Make Christmas cards, better orientate time. 

    52.   Play Pictionary a game that can promote positive growth dynamics.   

    53.   Pick out fresh flowers as this activity helps with memory relaxes the brain. 

    54.   Finish favorite Bible quotes for example:  2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way, Proverbs 18:10 - The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the upright man running into it is safe, Ephesians 6:10 - Lastly, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his power. 

    55.   Sort poker chips.

    56.   Sing Christmas carols for this activity will help strengthen your singing muscles and lung capacity. 

    57.   Decorate paper place mats.

    58.   Make homemade lemonade, builds positive attitude. 

    59.   Clean out a pumpkin make the elderly feels useful. 

    60.   Sort playing cards by their color.

    61.   Cut pictures out of greeting cards. Free Printables of picture card boards are online. 

    62.   Read the daily newspaper out loud.

    63.   Look up names in a phone book.

    64.   Play favorite songs and sing together.

    65.   Put bird feed out for the birds.

    66.   Cut out pictures from magazines.

    67.   Make peanut butter sandwiches.

    68.   Make homemade applesauce for such meaningful activity elicit good memories.

    69.   Cut up used paper for scratch paper keeps the senior busy.

    70.   Watch National Geographic.

    71.   String Cheerios and hang them outside for the birds. 

    72.   Straighten underwear drawers.

    73.   Trace leaves and cut them out.

    74.   Sort objects such as buttons by color.

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