‘Get Busy’: 5 Rewarding activities for elders with dementia and Alzheimer’s

‘Get Busy’: 5 Rewarding activities for elders with dementia and Alzheimer’s

Spending your days stuck at home these days may surely be boring you to no end. Nothing much to do all day than browse your social media feeds, get your eyes glued on Netflix, eat, cook, do the dishes, and occasionally go out for a quick run to the supermarket. Then you basically repeat the same things over and over again for the next few days and weeks.

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Now, imagine going through all of that—while feeling a few unpleasant things here and there—and having a difficult time reusering what you did the next morning. Tough, right?

That’s probably how hard every day must be for our elder family users with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Now more than ever, they need help and support in order to somehow get by. Old age and all the frailties that go with it are such a handful for them to manage, and the best thing we can do for them at this point is to make sure that they receive the best possible care they can get—whether that means going the extra mile or having someone tend to their needs while we also work on other things.

Here are five (5) stimulating activities you can do at home with your elderly loved ones.

1) Whip up something delicious

Baking or cooking is one say to stimulate their brains and evoke happy, heartfelt old memories of the past. It’s a nice way to make them reminisce their yesteryears while also allowing them to share stories and a few anecdotes with you.

2) Make great music

Was your old guy the family’s undisputed karaoke night king? Were you used to singing for hours with your mom a few years back? Encourage them to belt out a tune every once in a while. This can help strike a chord (pardon the pun) and induce a powerful emotion as they reminisce and reconnect with long-forgotten memories.

3) Read a book

Your elder loved ones may have been avid readers once upon a time. If they can still do that, try giving them some light reading materials. If they’re having a hard time doing just that, you can spend a couple of minutes reading them their favorite book or having them listen to an audio book instead.

4) Paint the blues away

Getting busy with arts and craft is one of the best ways to stimulate the brain. It also allows your loved ones to express themselves and explore their love for creativity. Try to have them spend a few minutes painting, sketching, writing a short poem, or even knitting. You can even have them try their hand on an adult coloring book if they’re really into it.

5) Discover a new hobby

Whether it’s gardening, an after-dinner book reading with your little ones, or taking care of a pet (we totally approve this one!), make sure that your loved ones are always pre-occupied and doing something worthwhile. The period of discovery and learning never ends, so why stop now?

Just reuser to breaks every after activity to allow them to rest and recover. Find out what really gets them going and stick with it in the meantime. In the end, what’s important is to keep a strong connection with them and help them get through their everyday life with ease.

Should your elder loved ones need in-home care assistance, we’d love to sit down and talk to you about it. Feel free to connect with us because our dedicated care team will always be happy to lend a hand.