Using Activities to Reduce Agitation in Dementia Patients

Agitation is one of the most challenging and distressing aspects of dementia—for the person experiencing it and for everyone who cares for them.

The pacing. The restlessness. The repeated questions. The resistance to care. The anger that seems to come from nowhere.

While there's no magic solution, research consistently shows that meaningful activities can significantly reduce agitation and improve quality of life for people with dementia. This guide explains why agitation happens and how the right activities can help.

Understanding Agitation in Dementia

Agitation isn't random. It's almost always communication—the person is trying to tell us something they can't express in words.

Common Causes of Agitation

Unmet physical needs:

1. Pain (they may not be able to tell you)
2. Hunger or thirst
3. Need for the bathroom
4. Uncomfortable temperature
5. Fatigue
6. Medication side effects

Environmental factors:

1. Overstimulation (noise, crowds, chaos)
2. Understimulation (boredom)
3. Unfamiliar surroundings
4. Changes in routine
5. Poor lighting (shadows can be frightening)

Emotional triggers:

1. Fear or anxiety
2. Frustration from failed communication
3. Loss of control
4. Feeling rushed or pressured
5. Perceiving disrespect

Cognitive factors:

1. Confusion about time, place, or identity
2. Inability to process what's happening
3. Delusions or hallucinations
4. Memory failures causing repeated distress

The Problem with Traditional Approaches

Too often, agitation is treated with medications—which can have significant side effects in older adults including increased fall risk, sedation, and even faster cognitive decline.

Non-pharmacological approaches like meaningful activities should be the first-line treatment. Research shows they work—often better than medications—without the risks.

How Activities Reduce Agitation

They Address Root Causes

Boredom → Engagement. A person with nothing to do becomes restless. Meaningful activity fills that void.

Excess energy → Physical outlet. Gentle movement and hands-on activities channel energy constructively.

Loss of purpose → Sense of contribution. Activities that feel useful restore dignity and calm.

Anxiety → Focus and distraction. Engaging the mind leaves less room for anxious thoughts.

They Use Preserved Abilities

Well-designed activities tap into procedural memory (how to do things) rather than requiring recall of facts or recent events. When people succeed, frustration decreases.

They Provide Sensory Comfort

Many therapeutic activities engage the senses—touching soft fabrics, listening to familiar music, seeing beautiful colors—providing comfort that transcends verbal communication.

They Create Connection

Human connection itself is calming. Activities done together provide social engagement that soothes emotional distress.

Calming Activities for Agitated Dementia Patients

Immediate Calming Activities

When agitation is happening now, these activities can help redirect:

1. Gentle Hand Massage

Touch can reach through agitation when words cannot.

How: Use unscented or lavender-scented lotion. Slow, gentle strokes on hands and fingers. Watch for signs of comfort or discomfort.

2. Familiar Music

Music can shift mood quickly.

How: Play songs from their youth (typically 1940s-1960s for current elderly). Keep volume low. Hymns, lullabies, and ballads often work better than upbeat songs during agitation.

3. Simple Sorting

Sorting provides gentle focus and purposeful hand activity.

Materials: Buttons, coins, playing cards, colored objects.

CarePrints offers: Montessori-inspired sorting activities in our Premium Activities collection.

4. Walking Together

Sometimes the body needs to move.

How: Walk alongside them (don't try to stop pacing). Walk with purpose toward a destination, even if made up. "Let's walk to check on [something]."

5. A Warm Drink

The ritual of tea or cocoa can be soothing.

How: Offer a warm (not hot) beverage. The warmth in hands and the familiar ritual of drinking can shift focus.

Proactive Activities to Prevent Agitation

Used regularly, these activities can reduce overall agitation frequency:

6. Daily Coloring Sessions

Coloring is remarkably effective at preventing and reducing agitation.

Why it works: Calming, repetitive, requires minimal cognitive demand, provides focus.

CarePrints offers: Over 1,700 coloring pages including simple, calming designs. Regular coloring sessions can be part of a daily routine.

7. Structured Sorting Time

Daily sorting activities provide purposeful engagement.

What to sort: Buttons, nuts and bolts, coins, silverware, socks.

CarePrints offers: Sorting and categorizing activities designed for cognitive engagement.

8. Music Time

Regular music—not just during crises—reduces overall agitation.

How: Dedicated daily music time with familiar songs. Sing along, tap rhythms, or simply listen together.

9. Folding Activities

Folding towels, napkins, or clothes is calming and purposeful.

Why it works: Uses procedural memory, provides purpose, keeps hands busy.

10. Word Searches

Simple word searches provide gentle cognitive focus.

CarePrints offers: Hundreds of word searches at various difficulty levels. Simple versions with large print work well for those prone to agitation.

11. Looking at Pictures

Photo albums, magazines, or picture books provide visual stimulation without cognitive demand.

12. Sensory Bins

Containers filled with textured items to touch and explore.

Ideas: Dried beans, soft fabric squares, smooth stones, rubber balls.

13. Rocking

The repetitive motion of rocking is naturally calming.

How: Rocking chair if safe, or rocking gently while seated together.

14. Pet Interactions

Animals provide non-judgmental comfort.

Options: Family pets, therapy animal visits, or realistic stuffed animals.

15. Gardening Activities

Touching soil, watering plants, and arranging flowers are calming.

Adapt: Indoor plants for those who can't go outside.

Activities for Specific Agitation Patterns

For Restless Pacing

1. Walking together with purpose
2. Sorting activities that occupy hands
3. Folding tasks
4. Simple crafts

For Repetitive Questions

1. Activity that provides focus elsewhere
2. Visual schedule they can reference
3. Reassurance plus redirection to activity

For Aggressive Agitation

1. Remove self first if unsafe
2. Calm voice, slow movements
3. Don't approach head-on; come from the side
4. Once calmer, offer very simple, non-threatening activity

CarePrints offers: Simple activities that can be introduced during calmer moments to prevent escalation.

For Sundowning (Evening Agitation)

1. Increase lighting before dusk
2. Calming activities in afternoon/evening
3. Reduce stimulation in environment
4. Very simple, quiet activities

See our dedicated article on sundowning activities for more detail.

For Exit-Seeking ("I Want to Go Home")

1. Don't argue or try to explain reality
2. Validate the feeling: "You miss home"
3. Redirect: "Let's have some tea first" or offer an activity
4. Walk together if they need movement

The Activity Environment

Activities work better in the right environment:

Reduce visual clutter. Simple, organized spaces are less overwhelming.

Good lighting. Shadows and darkness increase confusion.

Minimize background noise. Turn off TV when not actively watching.

Comfortable temperature. They may not tell you they're too hot or cold.

Familiar items. Recognizable objects provide security.

When Activities Don't Work

Not every activity will work, and not every episode of agitation will respond to redirection.

If an activity increases agitation, stop. Try something else or try nothing.

Some agitation has medical causes. Urinary tract infections, pain, and medication issues can cause agitation that activities won't solve.

Talk to the doctor if agitation is new, worsening, or severe.

Safety first. If someone is unsafe, protect them and others. Activities are for managing agitation, not for crisis situations.

Building an Agitation Prevention Routine

The best approach is prevention through regular meaningful engagement:

Morning: Gentle start with familiar routine, perhaps coloring or sorting

Midday: More active engagement—word puzzles, conversation, crafts

Afternoon: Wind-down activities—music, gentle movement, sensory engagement

Evening: Calm, simple activities with soft lighting—hand massage, photo viewing

Consistency matters. Regular routines reduce anxiety and agitation overall.

Activities for Calmer Days

CarePrints provides thousands of activities designed for senior engagement, including calming options for those prone to agitation.

Our library includes:

1. Simple coloring pages (1,700+ options)
2. Large-print word searches
3. Montessori-inspired sorting activities (Premium)
4. Sensory engagement guides
5. Evidence-based activity approaches

[Browse Calming Activities →] https://www.geriatriccaresolution.com/care-prints

Questions? Contact us at 1.888.896.8275 or careprints@gcaresolution.com