Alzheimer's Care Professionals Talk About How Seniors Can Remain Engaged

Alzheimer’s and dementia can come as a shock to you and your loved one, but, there are ways for your senior to remain engaged in their community and social life. Unfortunately, seniors who do develop these diseases often shy away from the things they used to love. Alzheimer’s care specialists recommend routine activities for your senior as this can help them live happily.

Alzheimer’s care teams have provided some excellent tips below that you should keep in mind as you do make plans for your senior. These tips can be scaled to meet your loved one’s skills and abilities.

Always keep your senior’s limitations in mind and plan around them
Focus on the enjoyment of the activity and allow your senior to have fun
Explain all the activities before they occur and make sure your loved one understands
Let your senior help as this will give him or her a sense of belonging
Evaluate the senior’s needs and adjust all activities to meet these needs

Below, our Alzheimer’s care team has come up with some activities that your loved one can engage in:

Make clay projects such as pottery or a vase for the home
Create artwork and complete crafts
Listen to soothing music
Knit a blanket
Plant fresh flowers or start a garden and harvest the vegetables when ready
Make jewelry
Create gift bags and share them in the community or with neighbors
Talk about previous relationships and reminisce about the past
Bake savory or sweet foods to enjoy

You want to make sure that the activities you plan for your loved one are easy for them to do as the difficulty can lead to frustration. Your loved one’s Alzheimer’s care provider can help plan out some wonderful activities too. Check with your loved one’s care specialist to see the activities that are available in their home.