LEISURE & ENTERTAINMENT


Active Lives for Active Minds


Active Minds, specialists in dementia-friendly activity products, suggests activities that caregivers can encourage amongst dementia sufferers to help engage with them.


Whether you’re a professional caregiver, a family member or close friend of a resident at a care home, it can be difficult to come up with suitable activities to help engage a loved one. Activities should be interesting and mixed, but easy enough so that they do not discourage residents, or leave them disappointed if they can’t complete them.


One-to-one activities for someone with dementia are very beneficial, helping them to feel comforted and creating quality time to connect. However, group activities can also play an effective, therapeutic part. Therapeutic group activities can help reduce a range of dementia-related behaviours, such as frustration, depression, and agitation. They also encourage a person living with dementia to socialise, helping them to bond with others and gain new friendships.


Here are a few suggestions for suitable activities for dementia, for either groups or individuals:


GET CREATIVE Art activities can be therapeutic and relaxing for people living


with dementia. They can take part wherever and whenever you like, whether as a group in a care home creating collages or individually outdoors painting some beautiful scenery. Traditional art supplies can be difficult for the elderly or those with dementia to use, however products such as Aquapaint have been designed for those who may struggle to use these conventional resources. You simply brush water onto the sheet and the picture will appear. They are also reusable once the paper dries!


MUSICAL MOMENTS Group sing-a-longs are a brilliant way to help liſt spirits in


a care home and to encourage elderly people to socialise. Choose songs that will resonate most with the residents- this will keep those with dementia engaged and help to spark memories. Try and make a playlist with songs they will have listened to in their teens and 20s. It is a good idea to print out the lyrics for each song as they will help the residents keep up if they do not know all the words.


READING As people get older, their vision might start to deteriorate,


making reading difficult. Nevertheless, they may still have an interest in the latest news and it is key to make sure an elderly person or someone with dementia feels connected to the world and current affairs. This can also help them to feel less isolated. Arranging a reading activity, where a person or group can sit in a quiet, calm environment and listen to


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news articles, stories or poems is a lovely way to connect and encourage conversation.


PUZZLE POWER Jigsaw puzzles are a fantastic activity for both individuals and


groups (with a maximum of four people, otherwise it could become overcrowded) helping each other find pieces, and chatting about the images is a wonderful way to encourage conversation. Once the puzzle has been completed, the group or individual will feel a great sense of achievement. Dementia- friendly jigsaws have been specially designed for the elderly and those living with dementia. The pieces are easy to handle and are placed on a printed backing board, meaning they can be completed with ease.


GARDEN GAMES Getting the group excited about some friendly competition


whilst taking part in gentle exercise outdoors will help elderly residents to stay fit and healthy. Skittles or boules are perfect games because they don’t take a great amount of mobility, so residents can play whilst sat down.


EVERYDAY TASKS Whilst it may not seem entertaining to suggest residents take


on general tasks as an activity, it can give them a sense of purpose and help them feel empowered. Tasks can be anything from doing the washing up to folding laundry, anything that is repetitive can work well. Try and give them familiar tasks that they may have had to do throughout their life, as this will also encourage reminiscence as well as giving them a sense of achievement and making them feel useful and proud of completing the task.


www.active-minds.org/uk www.tomorrowscare.co.uk


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