Regularly participating in stimulating activities can help maintain existing cognitive and physical abilities. These activities will also bring joy and encourage social connection.
At Gleam in Your Eye, our mission is to encourage positive cognitive stimulation for people with Alzheimer’s.
While developing our specialized dementia activity boxes, we identified four key considerations for helping someone with dementia engage in cognitively stimulating activities.
Sponsored by Gleam in Your Eye
4 Ways to Help Someone with Dementia Engage in Cognitively Stimulating Activities
1. Make it fun
For someone living with Alzheimer’s, even basic everyday tasks can be challenging and frustrating.
It’s essential to make these activities both fun and enriching.
To find activities that they’ll enjoy, think about their likes and dislikes and past hobbies. For example, they might like reading, music, art, crafts, puzzles, etc.
Participating in fun activities together with your loved one is a great way to stimulate their mind and also enjoy each other’s company.
2. Stay flexible
When choosing a time of day for mentally engaging activities, consider your typical energy levels.
Each person is different, but many older adults are more alert and focused in the morning.
It’s also important to be persistent because they may sometimes refuse to participate in activities.
Please don’t give up. It may take some time and trial and error to find activities that appeal to them, the best times of day, and effective ways to introduce the activity.
You might even start working on an activity while sitting next to them – it will likely capture their interest.
3. Be safe
The most important thing is to ensure the activities are safe for your older adult.
For example, ensure their workspace is well-lit, they’re seated safely, they take breaks if they tire easily, and distractions such as TV or music are turned off.
Another example is if your older adult is prone to putting things in their mouth. In that case, avoid small or loose objects that could become a choking hazard.
Keeping safety in mind helps you create an environment that reduces the risk of injuries or accidents.
Get $5 off your first dementia activity box with discount code DAILYCARING5 »
4. Keep it Simple
To help your older adult feel successful, modify activities as needed to make sure they’re appropriate for their current cognitive abilities.
If the activity is too overwhelming, you can hide certain parts or reveal them as they progress.
For example, you could pre-sort jigsaw puzzle pieces to complete them in smaller, more manageable sections. Alternatively, play modified card games with fewer cards.
And, when you’re helping them, give only one instruction at a time and allow them plenty of time to process the information and respond.
To boost your loved one’s self-confidence, it’s far better to do a little bit every day rather than take on an activity that’s too challenging.
Additionally, overstimulation and frustration lead to stress, which is counterproductive.
To be helpful, choose an activity that promotes self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment.
Get $5 off your first dementia activity box with discount code DAILYCARING5 »
Gleam in Your Eye Creates Specialized Memory Activities for People with Dementia
At Gleam in Your Eye, our activities are specifically designed to be fun and valuable for people with dementia.
With a subscription, each month you’ll receive a box with five games developed for moderate-stage dementia, including:
- Sensory activities to stimulate long-term memory
- Logic games to exercise thinking and concentration
- Word games to exercise language
- Artistic activities to appeal to creative abilities
- Physical activities to maintain motor skills and slow the loss of coordination
With guidance from health professionals, these activities are designed to be challenging enough to be engaging but not so tricky that participants feel frustrated or unsuccessful.
Benefits for the person with dementia
- Practicing cognitive, manual, and physical activities helps slow disease progression.
- Being active reduces stress and anxiety levels.
- Success helps build and maintain self-confidence.
Benefits for caregivers
- Save time – there’s no need to spend hours searching for dementia activities.
- Put it on autopilot – boxes are home-delivered every month.
- Have variety on hand – older adults may have different preferences from day to day, so these boxes will allow you to have a variety of activities to offer.
- Take a break – your older adult can play these games solo so that you can take a short break.
Benefits for friends and family
- These activities encourage interactions and can make visits easier and more enjoyable.
- A monthly box subscription makes a perfect gift, especially if you aren’t able to visit often, but want to show how much you care.
About Gleam in Your Eye: Marie Vaudry is a passionate young entrepreneur who is driven to encourage entertainment and cognitive stimulation for people with Alzheimer’s. She has been particularly concerned about Alzheimer’s disease since 2012, when her mother was diagnosed with it at just 59 years old. She faced the all-too-common challenge of finding stimulating activities adapted to her changing cognitive abilities. So, Marie spent the next few years working with health professionals to create Gleam in Your Eye and develop an innovative product offering a monthly subscription box filled with engaging activities.
This article is sponsored by Gleam in Your Eye. For more information, see How We Make Money.
About the Author
Connie is the founder of DailyCaring.com and 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 understands the importance of support, especially in the form of practical solutions, valuable resources, and self-care tips.
