Choosing the right activities for the person you care for
People diagnosed with dementia can lead fulfilling and active lives. There are all sorts of activities the person you care for can take part in – from physical, mental to social and creative. You can continue with activities the person with dementia already enjoys, although they may take longer than they used to. Taking part in activities the person you care for enjoys can give a sense of achievement and purpose.
As dementia progresses some activities can become more difficult to facilitate. Here are some guidelines to consider when choosing activities for people living with dementia:
- Take your cue from the person with dementia. What do they like to do? What are they able to do? What are they in the mood for today?
- Focus on enjoyment not achievement by choosing activities that the person finds naturally easy and enjoyable to take part in.
- Take into account the persons abilities and skills – physical, mental, social and creative. It can be helpful to keep track of how basic skills and abilities change.
- Be mindful of any physical limitations, energy levels and any changes in hearing, vision, or flexibility. Physical changes may mean adapting the activities to suit the changing abilities of person you are caring for. For example, If the person you care for gets tired or agitated, take a break or try activities for shorter periods of time.
- Avoid over-stimulation and situations with a lot of noise which people with dementia can find overwhelming.
Activities to do together for people living with dementia
Doing an activity together can feel enjoyable and productive. It can also help connect you with with the person you are supporting. When introducing activities, be led by the person with dementia. Whatever they choose to do should be enjoyable and engaging. Try to remember that some people can become frustrated by tasks if they can’t complete them. Sometimes, you may find something of interest one day may not be the same the next. Here are some activities you can try at home:
Games can be the perfect way to avoid boredom and they can also feel gratifying for the person with dementia. You might want to try:
- Board games like Snakes and Ladders or Scrabble.
- Checkers/Chess (you don’t always have to follow the rules… Follow the rules of the person who has dementia).
- Doing simple crosswords together can be a great way of sparking conversation.
- Balancing/ stacking games like Jenga or kerplunk.
- Take a look at the BBC Reminiscence Archive where images, audio and video have been collated to support people living with dementia. The aim is to trigger memories and conversation.
- Card games (try finding out the games they played as a child).
- Completing a puzzle can give a great sense of achievement. Look out for puzzles designed especially for people with dementia.
Crafts like drawing, painting, or cutting and sticking can be a great pastime for anyone living with dementia, no matter how advanced their symptoms. You could try:
- Adult colouring books.
- Depending on the stage of the person’s dementia, you might want to consider ‘painting with water’ books. These are books that you paint water on to reveal a colourful image. Some are reusable, when they dry, the image disappears.
- Making collages and modelling using playdough or modelling clay.
- Flower arranging is a simple activity that is calming and productive, creating a real sense of accomplishment. Using fresh or fake flowers, you can arrange into a vase.
Sensory activities can be an incredibly calming pastime for people with dementia. The ideas below are particularly suited to people with advanced types of dementia. Ideas include:
- Having different bowls with different materials in them such as sand, soil, faux grass, velvet/fluffy fabrics, play putty/ slime etc.
- You can buy games that use smells to trigger memories.
- Try a ‘fiddle muff’ or other fidget toys if the person struggles with fidgeting.
- Buy sensory books with different textures and textiles.
- Getting life like baby dolls or toy pets can bring a sense of purpose and love to the person with dementia.
- Lava Lamps and small projectors for the ceiling.
- Watching children’s programs containing soft movement, calming music and vibrant colours. You could try In The Night Garden, Moon and Me or The Clangers.
Music is widely recognised as a great way to engage people living with all stages of dementia. Any music can help, from playing a favourite CD to creating a personalised playlist of songs associated with happy memories.
- If the person with dementia lives alone, consider a simple radio with very few buttons for ease of use.
- Try having a conversation about what the music reminds them of. There may be a memory/feeling associated with their favourite song, it may lead them on to talk about all kinds of things.
- BBC Music Memories has a set of playlists broken down into themes and years to support remembering a time or era. They also have guides to go along some of the playlists to support making conversation around the songs and artists.
- If the person with dementia shows interest, let them carry out tasks around the house. Anything like folding towels, laying the table or washing up can help them feel a sense of accomplishment and purpose.
- Be prepared that, depending on the level of their symptoms, the individual may not complete the tasks perfectly. Try not to see it as them ‘helping’ you with chores; instead, support them to enjoy the experience.
- Set them up with a simple gardening task like weeding together or sowing seeds.