Activities for Parents With Alzheimer’s

Home Care Services in Manhattan NY: Activities for Parents with Alzheimer’s

Quality of life. How one defines this is unique to every person and every circumstance. For those with a form of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, quality of life can revolve around maintaining an active and socially engaging lifestyle despite loss of memory or difficulty maintaining the thread of a conversation. It’s easy to socialize less as the world becomes more confusing and your loss of recall and awareness a little embarrassing, but you, as a family caregiver, can help your loved one stay engaged.

Activities

Stimulating activities help those with Alzheimer’s remain emotionally connected, lessens the anxiety and irritability associated with the disease, and encourages memories. Various activities are recommended depending on the time of day.

Encourage daytime activities that are mentally stimulating and, at the same time, help your parent feel needed and included. Encourage involvement in the daily activities of living such as setting the table or folding clothes—whatever they can help with that does not lead to frustration. Keeping a daily routine helps those suffering from this disease to feel secure in their ever-changing world. Consider morning chores interspersed with fun activities. For instance, schedule 11:00 for an hour of arts and crafts. Try various forms until you find one that your parent seems to enjoy.
In the afternoon, consider doing some gardening together, sharing time working on a puzzle, or playing a game. There are several games recommended specifically for those with Alzheimer’s including Qwirkle, Shake Loose a Memory, Bingo and Brain Fitness.

When dusk begins to settle, many with Alzheimer’s exhibit increasing agitation and irritability. It is believed that the shadows that descend at this time can lead to confusion and fear. It is also attributed to the fatigue associated with the end of the day. While it is best to keep your loved one engaged at this time so their mind does not wander to fearful places, you will most often want to keep the activities calm in nature—like you would a child that you are helping ease into a bedtime ritual. To this end, consider relaxing activities such as a neighborhood stroll, watching one of their favorite movies together, a relaxing bath filled with a cup of Epsom or sea salts and a few drops of lavender, or playing an easy game of cards.

Considerations

You will want to keep the following in mind as you help your loved one:

• Activities are created to help your parent stay engaged. Completing them in a certain way is not the goal. As an example: If your loved one puts the wrong piece of the puzzle somewhere, it’s okay.
• If an activity seems to aggravate them, stop or find a different way of achieving the same goal.
• Enjoy activities together to help your parent feel engaged and provide support when they have difficulty achieving a certain task.
• Let them know that they are needed.

Referred Caregiver

It can take quite a bit of energy caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. Be sure to take care of yourself, as well. A referred caregiver can offer respite care a few days a week. They have cared for countless seniors facing this disease and understand the need for daily routines and simple, yet sincere, communication.

Resources
http://www.alzheimers.net/2014-03-06/stimulating-activities-for-alzheimers-patients/
https://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-activities.asp
http://www.best-alzheimers-products.com/games-for-people-with-alzheimers.html