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marydys Asked December 2020

What sort of activities do you give a 93 year old with moderate dementia?

Dad used to do Suduko but can't anymore. Sometimes I fill in most of the blanks and let him try to do the rest. He is down to a 100 piece jigsaw puzzle with help. Remarkably, he can still sort of play checkers and solitare (if someone is helping him). Besides watching TV (always the same news channel at high volume...UGH!), what kinds of things can I give him to do by himself? One of the main reasons I'm hoping to put him in AL is so that he has an activity director because he NEEDS that. But AL is not an option for him during covid so I have become the activity director. His care is mostly easy... so I am fortunate and not complaining. Just looking for ideas.

lealonnie1 Dec 2020
My mother is 94 next month, lives in Memory Care AL with moderate dementia & calls all the activities there 'baby games.' Meanwhile, she's incapable of reading anymore, or doing even the simplest of things, so I'm not sure WHAT activities would actually make her happy. Nothing, I'm sure, since her prime focus in life is complaining. If your father isn't against 'baby games', you could get him some colored pencils and an adult coloring book; a set of sewing cards are fun and simple, too.

Here is a link to a wide variety of activities for seniors with Alz. & dementia from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=alzheimers+activities+for+seniors&crid=3RXQANXWX63ZM&sprefix=alzheimers+act%2Caps%2C224&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-da-p_2_14

This one looks particularly good in the word game category:

https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Busy-Dementia-Alzheimers-Activities/dp/B0150EISAO/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3RXQANXWX63ZM&dchild=1&keywords=alzheimers+activities+for+seniors&qid=1608588092&sprefix=alzheimers+act%2Caps%2C224&sr=8-10

Good luck!

Geaton777 Dec 2020
You can have him sort and fold laundry or nuts and bolts. If you cook he can help cut the veggies. He can align alphabet blocks in the right order (or at least try) and then can try to stack them. If he has enough hand strength and coordination he can cut old t-shirts into rags (ask neighbors to donate shirts or towels) best to use a fabric scissor for this or it may be too hard. I got my LO with dementia a whole bunch of dvds of old musicals I know she loved. It keeps her occupied for the entire movie and they are fun and uplifting. I also try to find funny animal videos on YouTube -- she absolutely loved those. FYI there are products he can use so that you don't have to hear the tv blasting -- research some online or maybe other posters will make suggestions. I wish you success in finding the right activities for him!

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