Activities for moderate to advanced dementia are a wonderful way to interact with your loved one and give them structure every day. FREE Caregiver Daily Log with matching activity below.
Are you caring for your elderly loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s? It’s a blessing to give them activities that bring purpose and help their mind and body stay engaged. It keeps them happy and healthy inside and out 😊
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Caregiving is a journey
The past seven years I’ve been caring for my mom who has advanced dementia at the age of 95. My husband and I have approached every stage of her illness with prayer and a listening ear for wisdom and discernment. The Lord has been very gracious to prepare us and provide for us and her needs each step of the way. Without His help, I know we would be very burned out by now.
If you are overwhelmed, burned out or even pondering if you could handle this caregiving role, I just encourage you to lean into the Lord and trust His gracious provision. HE is mighty and able to give above and beyond you and your loved one’s every need. He will direct you in the way you should go.
If you would like to know more about a relationship with Jesus, click here.
Proverbs 3:5-6 has been my mom’s life verse(s) and they certainly apply even more so to us now that she needs our help.
From the start of her dementia, ten or so years ago, to where she is at right now there has been a timeline of frequent adjusting and making changes according to her needs as her mental and physical ability declines.
It is certainly not without its challenges, but I’ve found joy in providing for her physical, emotional and spiritual needs while I care for her at home. And I’ve certainly learned a thing or two along the way that I hope will help you!
So, let’s get started . . . I’m going to sprinkle my list of ideas throughout this post and also provide you with a PDF that you can download.
Why are there different needs at this time?
Dementia can be slow in its progression or fast. My mom’s has been a slow decline happening over the course of ten years or so. She went from being forgetful and a little confused by things such as operating her clock radio or microwave, to where she is at now which is bed bound and non-communicative.
A lot of stages happened in between there and the needs she has had for activities and what she is capable of doing have continually changed. We have needed to adapt activities to her abilities along the way.
What kinds of things would someone enjoy? Activities for moderate to advanced dementia
What did they enjoy before? Did they enjoy golfing? Knitting? Puzzles? Reading?
Think about what kinds of things they enjoyed before their cognitive abilities declined and provide activities along those lines.
They may look a little different and be much simpler, but the familiarity of something that brought them pleasure before will often still bring pleasure today.
My mom and dad were ballroom dancers and loved music from the 40’s. So, we often listen to music from that era, and even though mom can’t dance anymore, I sometimes see her smile when she hears a familiar tune. I use Pandora Radio or the Spotify app to create playlists of favorites and give a “like” to the songs that are especially favorites so they’re played more frequently.
Keep it simple so they don’t get frustrated
Less is more with dementia. If your loved one enjoyed jigsaw puzzles or word search puzzles, they might still enjoy those but they need to be much simpler. They may even just enjoy interacting with the pieces or drawing on the paper. That’s okay!
Easy Puzzles
Easy Puzzles
Easy Word Search with Large Print
Sometimes colorful caps to markers or beads look like candy. With confusion, your loved one may try to eat them. So, keep size of the objects in mind when you’re choosing activities for fine motor skills.
Mom is sometimes with another caregiver besides me, and I always make sure that if someone should leave her alone for a few moments, she is still safe. No small pieces!
Some ideas for fine motor skills which are especially helpful for after a stroke:
- Peg board with large pegs
- Lacing cards
- Therapy putty with small plastic beads—use with supervision and have your loved one remove the beads from the clay one at a time.
- Looking at magazines—turning the pages one at a time is helpful.
My mom has enjoyed this peg board for several years now. I found that the holes need to be stretched out a little bit at the beginning, but then they’re good to go. For another activity, you can also use a shoelace and they can be strung together.
Peg Board Activity
Mom enjoyed sewing way back when. The familiarity of stringing the laces through these cards engages her for a long time. Even in her advanced stage, she can somewhat do this.
Lacing Cards Activity
Therapy Clay
Provide options for throughout the day. Activities for moderate to advanced dementia
Variety is the spice of life. Right? Have many things on hand to include fine motor skills, large motor skills, sensory activities and more. If you don’t have room to keep everything out in one place, use several bins and rotate through them each week.
More ideas:
- Maze-even for advanced dementia. See the pic below
- Pet/brush stuffed animals-I even found one that can meow and purr. Mom loves it!
- Listen to music and color
- Watercolor painting-use easy books that are paint with water for less mess. Some are even reusable!
- Look through magazines-this is a favorite for mom. She does tear out the pages sometimes and likes the sound of the tearing paper. Check with your local library for magazines they will be discarding.
Maze for Interactive Play
Interactive Lifelike Cat
Reusable Paint With Water Set
Keep a list so you stay fresh and don’t get in a rut.
Are you a lover of planners? Maybe, maybe not. But this is one of those times when it’s really helpful to have a plan and ideas written down. Sometimes the days just seem like they’re “rinsing and repeating” and a list of ideas will keep you fresh.
I’ve provided a free Caregiver Log with a matching activity to get you started. I print this out and pin it up on my mom’s wall so that it’s viewable by all who might want to do activities with mom.
Incorporate sensory activities. Activities for moderate to advanced dementia
Fidget Blanket For Calming
I cannot recommend sensory activities enough. Many struggle with Sundowners Syndrome, or sundowning which is a state of confusion that affects many dementia patients late in the day. They can be anxious and disoriented and sometimes aggressive.
I have found that if my mom has something to keep her hands busy during this time of day, she does much better and is less agitated. She tends to like to touch and handle things that are soft but your loved one may prefer something else that can be handled and moved through their hands.
A few ideas to aid with Sundowner Syndrome or even to pass the time:
- Lap books or sensory boards
- Soft small blankets
- Stuffed animals
- Pop tubes
- Soft, soothing music
Pop Tubes (Link them, shape them)
Fidget Sensory Blanket
Each person is a bit different so try out a few things and see what keeps your loved one’s hands busy and helps them remain calm.
Providing for their hygiene can be a loving activity that makes them feel special.
Often times because communication is a struggle in later stages, there isn’t much give and take with conversation. Sitting across from your loved one and giving them a manicure or a hand massage with some good smelling lotion is a great way to communicate love and care without words.
Keep a small basket of items in a safe location with favorite nail polish, remover and manicure tools.
Ideas:
- Use nail polish remover pads instead of a bottle of remover. This will prevent messy spills
- Massage lotion in a pump is best for ease of use
- Keep a manicure set nearby but in a safe place if your loved one is mobile and active.
Nail Polish Remover Wipes (No spills)
Hand Massage Lotion
Manicure Kit
Activities for moderate to advanced dementia. Here are some more ideas to engage:
- Read aloud
- Look at photo albums-I’ve even labeled our family members to help mom remember
- Back rubs
- Exercises in bed or chair
- Help fold laundry
- Sort items by color or shape
- Flower arranging with silk flowers
- Matching games
- Bounce a small beach ball back and forth
- Clip coupons
- Separate playing cards by color or suit or type
- Untie knots on a knotted rope
- Go outdoors and enjoy fresh air
- Provide a bird feeder on their window or in a place where they can see. Place them by the window and bird watch
Window Hummingbird Feeder
- Watch a sporting event on TV
- Put a diffuser in their room (If they are immobile) and enjoy a fragrance
- Sort through beanie babies (if you still have those😊)
- Enjoy board books (we’ve had to switch some books to board books since mom rips the pages out of books) or easy reader books
Caring for your loved one whether they are home with you or in an assisted living home can be a time of choosing to focus on loving them where they are at, and adapting as their needs and desires change.
It truly is a blessing to have this time to love on them and care for her/him in their time of need. And providing activities that they enjoy brings enrichment to their day and helps them hold onto memories and abilities a bit longer.
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