The holidays are stressful on all of us. If you are caring for someone that has dementia, or a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, holiday gatherings can be difficult. Confusion and anxiety are most likely to increase when the structure and routine of someone with dementia is disrupted, especially during holiday get togethers. Adding masks and practicing social distancing just adds to the anxiety and confusion.
Having activities on hand that may help reduce stress, ease anxiety, and reduce confusion could make for a better experience for all involved. Remember when setting up these activities utilize an area away from the immediate gathering to improve your loved one’s participation and focus on the activity. Another suggestion would be to introduce the activity before everyone arrives. Individuals with dementia are typically more willing and cooperative to get involved an activity when they are in an environment that doesn’t overwhelm them.
Introducing our Six Simple Actiivities..
1. Coloring is the first of the six activities I would like to introduce. This is one of our “go to” activities in my household. Coloring can be enjoyed by friends and family of all ages; many people find this activity calming and relaxing. When we color we are focused as we participate in the activity; being focused helps us relax and reduce stress. Depending on your loved one’s capabilities, you can offer them simple pictures to color or more elaborate pictures if they can manage it. This is a wonderful activity that children can participate in along with loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
2. Puzzles are a great activity because you can purchase them in different quantities of pieces and difficulty. I would recommend a puzzle with 24 pieces or even wooden puzzles for individuals with dementia: although difficulty depends on the level of your loved one’s disease or diagnosis. We all need to achieve some success while participating in an activity to stay engaged, individuals with dementia aren’t any different. If the pieces are too small or there are too many it can add to their stress and confusion and they will lose interest in the activity. You may also find that you need to remind your loved one how to put the puzzle pieces together to get them started, depending on their clarity that day.
3. Holiday Sensory Bin is something that can be a lot of fun, spark memories and initiate conversation. You can put anything in a sensory bin that reminds you of the holidays your family celebrated, traditions passed on for years or just seasonal items. Some suggestions include cookie cutters, stockings, candy canes, ornaments, cinnamon sticks, Christmas pajamas, a star, angel, Christmas music box, ribbon, Christmas cards (cards with texture man be a nice addition as well), elves, Nutcracker and bells are a few options.
4. Lacing cards come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and themes. This type of activity is a much simpler one and promotes eye-hand coordination, and focus while keeping your loved one active and engaged. If your love one sewed, it is a similar activity and may spark some memories they could share with you.
5. Listening to music is another great activity, that appeals to everyone regardless of their diagnosis. If your loved one has dementia, and you can play music from their childhood or young adulthood, they usually recall the music and words much more easily. Music from their past is very comforting to them and many times you can get them to sing along. I recall two songs that really stirred memories in some of the clients we cared for with dementia. I still hum along to them when I hear them.
Hymns are also a great option to listen to. Many individuals with dementia recall hymns that they sang as a young child and adult while at church or in their home and find this music very soothing.
6. Folding items such as dish towels or matching socks is also a task that many individuals with dementia find comforting and are willing to participate in. Folding clothes gives individuals a sense of normalcy and helps them feel they are being productive and contributing members of the household. These tasks are chores they most likely did for years and most individuals with dementia remember how to complete these tasks with little oversight depending on the level of forgetfulness they are experiencing. At the center we purchased a bunch of toddler socks, put them in a laundry basket and many of our clients would match and fold them. To initiate this activity, tell your loved one you could use their help with folding clothes, most of them are eager to help and will not hesitate to get started.
A few thoughts to consider:
- You may find that you need to introduce an activity to your loved one with dementia. Many of these individuals do not remember how to initiate activity for themselves and wouldn’t realize the basket of clothes sitting in front of them needs folding.
- You may have to show them how to participate in the activity when you first sit the activity in from of them. You may also find that you need to support them throughout the activity to keep them engaged. For example: if they are going to color, open the coloring book and help them select a page to color. Once a page is selected, hand them a colored pencil and see how they progress with the activity.
- It may be helpful to switch activities throughout the timeframe depending on your loved one’s attention span and cooperation.
These activities would also be great to introduce while you are getting ready for your holiday dinner and gatherings too.