9 Engaging Activities for Low Vision Seniors with Alzheimer’s or Dementia

Activities help stimulate the mind and memory and keep older adults engaged and interested in life. But finding no-fail activities for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and vision impairment can take a little extra creativity. That’s why it’s essential to find activities that work well for their cognitive ability and level of vision impairment.

Meaningful activities help reduce anxiety, agitation, and other challenging behaviors. They can also improve sleep by keeping the person more active and awake during the day. To help you find a variety of fun activities for low vision seniors with dementia, we share nine activity ideas with plenty of specific suggestions.

9 Activities for Low Vision Seniors With Dementia

Finding activities that your older adult will like might take some trial and error.

Use their previous preferences and interests as a guideline, but don’t be afraid to try things they weren’t interested in before – dementia can significantly change preferences.

Experiment with these ideas to find what suits your older adult best.

Use the suggestions as a starting point and customize their ability level and interests as needed.

Remember that interests can change when someone has dementia, so don’t be afraid to try something again in the future to see if there might be a different reaction.

1. Music

• Play their favorite songs or albums, especially music from their youth
• Tune the radio to a station that plays the type of music they like
• Please encourage them to sing along to songs they know (check out an app that makes it easier to sing along)
• Use their favorite songs as a fun way to help them reminisce over fond memories
• Play or experiment with a simple musical instrument like a harmonica or musical shaker

2. Reading aloud, audiobooks, and radio shows

• Hearing the newspaper, books, magazines, or even old letters read aloud is an enjoyable pastime for many older adults. Find things that capture their interest, but aren’t too complex to follow.
• Reading aloud is an excellent way for visitors to interact with someone with dementia, especially children.
• Audiobooks allow your older adult to listen to almost any book they like. You can borrow them from the local library, buy them from a retailer, use the free National Library Service home delivery, or find them online for free.
• Sports fans may enjoy listening to sports games on the radio
• Some older adults may enjoy listening to radio talk shows, spiritual broadcasts, science talks, and other such programs – many radio stations even make these programs available online for free.

3. Movement and exercise

• Play their favorite music and encourage them to dance with you, sway in their seat, or tap hands and feet along with the beat
• To boost mood, circulation, and overall health, guide them through chair yoga exercises or chair-based exercises designed for people with dementia

4. Nature

• Use a wheelchair for a walk outside to feel the sun and fresh air
• Take them for a ride in the car and describe the passing scenery
• Involve them in an indoor windowsill garden to the best of their ability – pressing dirt in a pot, measuring plant growth by feel, smelling herbs, or tasting the harvest (tomatoes, salad greens, herbs, etc.)

5. Videos and TV programs

• Listen to musicals, operas, concerts, or other types of performances with music from TV, DVDs, YouTube, or on-demand streaming services.
• Listen to nature videos or shows – they usually describe the animals and narrate the action, so it can still be an enjoyable experience even without the visuals.s

6. Household chores

Helping with household chores is an excellent way for someone with dementia and low vision to feel involved and essential.

• Prepare fruit: Use a safety knife to cut soft fruits or fingers to break them into chunks or sections (bananas, oranges, etc.).
• Prepare veggies – Snap beans, shell peas or beans, pull off stems, etc.
• Help with ingredients – Asking someone with low vision to dump ingredients into a large pot or bowl is a way for them to contribute to cooking or baking a dish.
• Fold laundry – Especially smaller, more manageable items like hand towels or socks.
• Sort silverware – Sort butter knives, forks, and spoons into their containers.

7. Animal therapy

• Holding or petting a well-behaved pet is an excellent and calming activity (most of the time)!

8. Arts, crafts, and tactile activities

• Sculpture lets older adults express themselves creatively without needing to use their vision – use modeling clay or sculpting sand
• Older adults with some vision might like making collages from magazine pictures or covering a plain box by gluing cut-out images or colored paper
• Some people with a bit of vision may also enjoy expressive painting (think broad strokes and abstract shapes) – use vivid colors against a contrasting background to make it easier to see
• Many people enjoy smoothing out crumpled paper or tissue paper
• Sorting is an excellent activity that doesn’t require vision, making the shapes different enough to be easily distinguished – for example: a bag of mixed pasta shapes, coins, etc.
• Fidget toys and other sensory toys are also satisfying and engaging activities.

9. Adaptive (modified) games

• For seniors with some vision, large-print playing cards are a great way to enjoy simple games like Go Fish, 21 (blackjack), War, or just sorting cards by color or suit.
• Matching shapes game with a larger template for low vision
• Fun matching game with oversized cards showing various occupations
• Giant-size dominoes can be used to play multiple games, regular dominoes, or matching-type games that aging adults invent.

Recommended for you:

• 4 Ways Reminiscence Therapy for Dementia Brings Joy to Seniors
• Home Dementia Exercise Program Increases Abilities and Improves Symptoms
• The Positive Effect of Therapy Dolls for Dementia

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About the Author

Connie Chow

Connie was a hands-on caregiver for her grandmother for 20 years. (Grandma made it to 101 years old!) She knows how challenging, overwhelming, and all-consuming caring for an older adult can be. She also knows how important support is — especially in the form of practical solutions, valuable resources, and self-care tips.