There are many activities older adults may enjoy doing, but not all of them are suitable for elderly parents with dementia. Sensory therapy is highly effective for reducing anxiety and giving dementia patients something useful to do with their hands. Involving the dual senses of touch and smell, sensory activities for dementia can help calm an individual down, keeping them occupied with meaningful and failure-free activity. In this article, we share with you a list of sensory activities for dementia.
Folding Towels
This is a really simple activity that’s almost impossible to fail at. Even if the folds are not neat, it provides your elderly parent with something they can do with their hands. The sensation of the material against the skin can also be soothing, and everyone likes to have a neatly folded stack of towels to put away!
Sorting Through Old Items
If there’s an old drawer in the home filled with “junk”, getting your elderly parent to sort through it with you can bring back old memories and make for an excellent sensory activity. From old photos to mystery keys and trinkets, you can accompany your parent down memory lane as they feel the different items with their hands and think back to where they first got them!
Shuffling Cards
Depending on how far on your loved one’s condition has progressed, they may or may not be able to participate in a game of cards. However, one thing anyone can do is shuffle a pack of cards. Even if this is done haphazardly, the sensation of shuffling and rearranging cards can be a soothing activity for your parent who has dementia.
Touching Sensory Blankets
Dementia patients enjoy being able to touch and feel different textures as this can be incredibly calming for them. You may wish to make a sensory blanket for your loved one, where one side is kept soft and comfortable, and the other side is a mishmash of materials. Some examples of materials you can include are button-down flaps, sequins, faux leather, crochet, Velcro, and many more. Your loved one will enjoy touching and feeling the different textures and this can bring about some much-needed calm to their day.
Consider Senior Memory Care at Discovery Village At Naples
If you have an elderly loved one living with dementia, you may be looking into the best living options available for them. At Discovery Village At Naples, our award-winning memory care program takes a person-centered approach to improving the quality of life of our residents. We ensure that superior communication is maintained with the next of kin at all times, so you can enjoy peace of mind that your loved one is in safe hands with us.
We understand that you may not be able to make a decision before experiencing our community for yourself, so please feel free to book in for a tour with us today of our retirement community.
