Share This Page

Activities To Do With a Family Member or Friend Who Has Alzheimer’s

It’s important to spend meaningful time with a family member or friend who has Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. Here is a list of suggestions for activities with your affected loved one or friend.
Activities for older adults.

It’s important to spend meaningful time with a family member or friend who has Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. Participating together in activities your loved one enjoys can help improve their quality of life and manage behavior changes that may come with the disease, such as sleep problemsaggression, and agitation. It can also help grow and strengthen your connection. However, it may be difficult to know what activities you can safely do with your loved one.

Explore examples below. You may need to modify these activities based on the person’s preferences and abilities.

Activities to do around the house

  • Make a memory book — look through old pictures together and create a scrapbook.
  • Water house and garden plants.
  • Listen to their favorite music.
  • Watch their favorite show or movie.
  • Do an arts and craft project such as painting or drawing.
  • Knit or crochet together.
  • Cuddle, feed, or brush a household pet.
  • Present an instrument the person used to play such as a piano or guitar. Play, whistle, or sing along.
  • Sweep or vacuum.

Learn more about activity planning for people with Alzheimer’s.

Activities to keep moving

  • Go for a walk on a safe path clear of branches or other obstacles.
  • Dance to music the person likes or tap your feet.
  • Go to the gym — try walking next to each other on the treadmill or using a stationary bike.
  • Lift weights or household items such as filled water bottles.
  • Plant flowers.
  • Stretch or do yoga.
  • Go to a local museum.
  • Participate in a water aerobics class.

Learn more about staying physically active with Alzheimer’s disease.

Activities to engage the mind

  • Play a board or card game.
  • Work on a puzzle together.
  • Read poems or a book together.
  • Write cards to other family members and friends.
  • Play a computer game.

Learn more about activities that help keep an active mind.

For any activity, remember to be patient

No matter what activity you are engaging in, try to be patient. It may take the person with Alzheimer’s or another dementia longer to complete activities. Or they may not be able to accomplish things they used to do. If the person seems agitated, consider whether any activity is needed. Building in quiet times by just sitting together can be rewarding, too.

Tips to keep in mind

  • If the person is not enjoying the activity, try something else. You don’t need to finish every activity you start.
  • Be realistic about how much activity can be done at one time and adjust the pace if needed.
  • Make sure the person wants to do the activity and that you are taking it slow.
  • Engage in meaningful and productive activities when you can. It can boost the person’s mood and help them feel a sense of purpose.
  • It’s important to help children understand that they can still talk with the person living with Alzheimer’s and enjoy activities together, even if the person doesn’t always remember them, or asks or repeats a lot of questions.

Activities that promote healthy eating

  • Cook together — ask the person about their favorite meal and work together to make it. Or look up healthy cooking videos online and try to make them yourselves.
  • Plant vegetables together in the garden or in pots.
  • Have a picnic together — bring healthy food options the person likes. Bring a portable or camping chair if the person has trouble sitting on the ground.

Learn more about healthy eating and Alzheimer’s disease.

Activities to stay socially engaged

  • Join a dementia-friendly exercise class.
  • Invite friends over for tea or snacks.
  • See if there is a memory café in your community.
  • Plan a video call with a group of friends.
  • Join a book club together or start your own with friends and family.
  • Host a family game night.

Learn more about the importance of staying socially connected for health and well-being as we age.

Activities to do with children

  • Read stories out loud.
  • Look through a photo album.
  • Paint with watercolors or draw a picture.
  • Play with building blocks.
  • Listen to music or sing.
  • Make tie-dye shirts.

Learn more about helping children understand Alzheimer’s disease.


SOURCE:

NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Related:

Email me when people comment
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Edited by:
Picture of Hanna Levi Julian

Hanna Levi Julian

This site was inspired by my Mom’s autoimmune dementia.

It is a place where we separate out the wheat from the chafe, the important articles & videos from each week’s river of news. Google gets a new post on Alzheimer’s or dementia every 7 minutes. That can overwhelm anyone looking for help. This site filters out, focuses on and offers only the best information. it has helped hundreds of thousands of people since it debuted in 2007. Thanks to our many subscribers for your supportive feedback.

The site is dedicated to all those preserving the dignity of the community of people living with dementia.

Peter Berger, Editor

Share this page To

Dementia Books & Videos on Amazon:

More From Alzheimer's Weekly

low angle photo of man playing golf taken at daytime
Exercise

Golfing with Dementia

Easy golfing is great for people with dementia. It offers opportunities to socialize and be active, without memory or athletic constraints. See how one club integrated golf into the routine of a family living with dementia. Learn about an easy-to-set-up indoor/outdoor home golfing kit.

Read More »
Prevention

ADDF: What Works & What Doesn’t in Preventing Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s prevention and memory conservation is on everyone’s health radar. Every year, we spend billions on related supplements and alternative medicines. To sort out what might work and what doesn’t, what’s safe and what’s dangerous, and how confident experts are in the science, check out ADDF’s brain-protection website, Cognitive Vitality.

Read More »
Share to Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

This site was inspired by my Mom’s autoimmune dementia.

It is a place where we separate out the wheat from the chafe, the important articles & videos from each week’s river of news. Google gets a new post on Alzheimer’s or dementia every 7 minutes. That can overwhelm anyone looking for help. This site filters out, focuses on and offers only the best information. it has helped hundreds of thousands of people since it debuted in 2007. Thanks to our many subscribers for your supportive feedback.

The site is dedicated to all those preserving the dignity of the community of people living with dementia.

Peter Berger, Editor

Visit Alzheimer's Weekly On

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x

Free:
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Weekly Newsletter

INCLUDES BONUS BOOKLET:
15 Simple Things You Can Do to Care For a Loved One with Dementia or Memory Loss
News, Treatments, Care Tips, Diet, Research, Diagnosis, Therapies & Prevention
News to Get at the Truth

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter