Elderly Care: 5 Activities for Seniors with Dementia

Jan 26
17:39

2021

Manoj K Upadhyay

Manoj K Upadhyay

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This content has an important information on elderly care. Nowadays senior are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia just like everyone else. you can go through the article to read and help yourself.

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The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia is on the rise and just like everyone else,Elderly Care: 5 Activities for Seniors with Dementia Articles seniors suffering from this disease benefit from connection and fulfilment. For such seniors, everyday activities can become difficult and lack of stimulation and boredom can be one of the most frustrating things.

There are many different stages that a person with Alzheimer's and Dementia will go through. It is very important to continue to provide quality elderly care at each stage and to do this it's important to look at what a person can do instead of what they cannot do. Keeping dementia patients actively engaged in everyday activities and cognitively challenging tasks is beneficial for both body and mind and, in some cases, it can even slow the progression of the disease. 

While dementia is by definition characterized by many declines and limitations, and it may sometimes be hard to see past these challenges, not all abilities are lost, especially in the early and middle stages of the disease. Seniors with dementia are capable of making meaningful contributions and experiencing joy, thus providing opportunities to facilitate such experiences is crucial.

By providing structure and routine for a person living with dementia, it helps to maintain their cognitive function, sense of security, and can calm anxious or aggressive behaviours. It also helps provide a sense of control over their day and their environment, especially for those in the early stages of the disease. For those in the end stage of dementia, many of these activities are often one of the few ways they can still engage their memories and communicate. 

To help keep your senior loved one busy and actively engaged, we have curated a list of activities which can be done through most stages of dementia. Take a look!

  1. Create a Memory Box

A memory box or a rummage box can help your older adult feel connected to their past career and previous hobbies. Get any kind of box and fill it with things they would have used at work, copies of photos and non-important keepsakes, or objects from hobbies. This can work for any type of job or hobby, just be creative about finding objects that will be safe to handle.

  1. Encourage Visual Expression

Painting and drawing are ways to express feelings safely and with creativity. Encourage using bold, bright colours on big surfaces. You can use rolls of butcher paper, which enable seniors with dementia to create without encountering the stress of defined spaces.

  1. Help with Clean-up Around the House

Instead of automatically tidying up the home, encourage dementia patients to assist with the clean-up. Doing so may increase their sense of purpose. For example, ask them to help you with folding up the laundry. Give them items like bathing towels and hand towels, which are easier to fold than other clothes. The goal is just to keep them happily engaged. No matter how well or poorly the towels are folded, the point is that your older adult feels good about the activity.

  1. Jigsaw Puzzles

Much like gentle exercise is good for the body, cognitive games like jigsaws are good for the brain, helping to keep it healthy and can even help slow down the brains decline as dementia progresses. Undertaking a few hours of these types of mentally challenging exercises a week can have an incredible benefit for people with dementia, stimulating and exercising both sides of the brain.

  1. Exercise

Physical activity is beneficial for physical and mental health and can improve mood and quality of life in individuals in all stages of the disease. Research suggests that regular exercise (at least twice a week) may also help reduce or delay functional limitations in individuals with dementia. Exercises that you can help your senior loved one with include:

  • Walking
  • Gardening
  • Chair exercises
  • Tai Chi

In the later stages of dementia, individuals typically face increased physical restrictions. However, whenever possible, individuals should still be encouraged to move about regularly.

Dealing with dementia is a challenge that is so often consumed by a focus on loss and decline. It can therefore be especially important to support individuals’ strengths, abilities, and personal desires throughout the disease.

While these 5 activities are fail-safe and ensure optimum engagement for someone suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s, it is important to keep in mind that everyone enjoys different activities, and you – as an elderly caregiver– should try the activities that best fit your senior loved one’s personality, needs, and situation.