Dementia changes the way you or your loved ones live your lives. That can impact your dealings with other people. There may be movement restrictions, for the fear that one may just get hurt going by with their usual chores. If you want to be successful in your battle against this condition, it will be best to consider activities for the elderly with dementia. This is a great way to help them exercise their freedom, while they still can.
Folding Laundry
You may be reminding your loved ones not to move around at home too much when you are not around. Come laundry day, however, you might want to give them a special task too. A simple activity like folding towels is a good place to start. This will make them feel they are contributing to household chores a whole lot. Even with housekeeping services included in the retirement community where they live, they still can participate with these chores.
Creating a Box of Memories
Memories are impacted by dementia, and while dealing with such a condition, you may want to help your loved ones create their own memory box. Together, you can get an old sturdy box that you can design. You can fill this box with items they love the most, like those they used at work, or keepsakes they have taken home from attending an event.
Create a Separate Box for Hobbies
You can also create a box for hobbies. If they are fond of crocheting, you can use that box to keep their masterpieces. You can also use the box to keep fun fabrics that they can use for sewing. Get different colors of each kind of cloth. Silk, velvet, cotton, felt, and lace are among the choices you can include in the box. When you hand them that box, they will start creating what they have in mind. Putting pieces together will surely be fun.
Untie Some Knots
This is not just a good memory exercise but also a great hand activity. Buy a certain length of rope with medium thickness at a local store. Tie simple knots loosely before handing them to your loved ones. Request the older adult in the family to untie the knots for you. This activity will boost their morale and they will definitely take pride in the fact that they can easily do it, while thinking that you cannot. Let them be. Take joy in their proud moment, even with this simple task.
Pasta Threading
Your loved ones may already find it difficult to thread needles because of the small holes in it. Get some dry pasta that contain big holes instead. Tape the end of the string together, making sure that their lengthier than the pasta. From there, ask your loved one to thread the pasta using the tools you have created.
There are a lot of other fun activities your loved ones will enjoy when they are suffering from dementia. They will love the fact being part of all these. It will give them a sense of freedom to enjoy life while they still can.
