Dementia Friendly Activities

Why are dementia-friendly activities important?

People living with dementia have unique needs when it comes to their care and quality of life. As a caregiver, it’s important to understand the importance of providing meaningful activities that are tailored to each patient/resident. That’s why we’ve put together this guide – to help you find creative activities suited for care homes and hospitals that can boost the quality of life for dementia patients. From music therapy to gardening, there are plenty of options available that can be tailored to each patient’s individual needs and preferences. Read on to learn more about how you can use these activities to promote positive outcomes in dementia care.

Having a range of dementia activities available to keep a person with dementia entertained and active will help reduce feelings of frustration and aggression and have a number of positive outcomes such as:

Help them to maintain their independence
Maintain their skills
Allow them to express their feelings and communicate
Improve their self-esteem
Encourage interaction

To get the most from your activities having a varied activities program that includes physical, mental, social, creative, and sensory activities as well as reminiscence will help cater to all residents and encourage involvement

Stimulating the mind

Recommendations given in the 2011 World Alzheimer’s Report suggest that routinely providing individualized cognitive stimulation to those with mild to moderate stages of dementia can produce short-term improvements and/or reduce the decline in cognitive function. Some suggested activities are:

Puzzles and games

Jigsaws
Audiobooks / Storytelling
Gardening
Creative activities such as painting or flower arranging…

Encouraging sociability

It is important to encourage a person with dementia to continue to interact with those around them. Doing so has many positive benefits, such as maintaining good physical health, encouraging a healthier outlook, and improved sleep patterns. Popular social activities are:

Singing
Wine and cheeses evenings
Coffee mornings and afternoon teas
Knit and natter classes

Keeping active

Keeping a person with dementia active and involved in life can greatly improve their quality of life, reduce agitation and improve sleep and nutrition.

By giving the person a place to walk to, a destination with a purpose, you can encourage activity. This can be done by creating an interactive themed area. Some of the most popular are:

Post Office
Café
Bar

Reminiscing

Reminiscing is a great way to find out more about the residents’ such as their likes and dislikes. It helps individuals with dementia to remember events, people and places from their past. It helps to develop positive feelings reducing stress and agitation. Suggested reminiscing ideas are:

Memory Boxes
Themed rooms
Reminiscence images/pictures (Local landmarks, Music/film icons etc)

When it comes to boosting the quality of life for dementia patients in care homes or hospitals, there are plenty of options available for creating meaningful activities tailored specifically for them. From music therapy to gardening and art therapy, these activities can bring joy into the lives of those living with dementia while providing physical and emotional stimulation at the same time. Caregivers should take into account each patient’s individual needs when selecting activities so that their experience is both enjoyable and beneficial for their overall wellbeing.

Environmental Visit

We understand it can be difficult to know where to start and how to implement environmental changes for the maximum benefit of all involved in the process that is why we offer an Environmental Visit which will provide you with all the recommendations you need.

To find out more complete the form on the link below and one of our advisors will get back to you.

Click to book an environmental visit