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Recently I was stunned to read about a survey summarized on Alzheimers.net. According to the report, over 40% of people surveyed believe it’s pointless to stay in contact with someone living in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
This is so wrong and so sad. Yet, I can understand why someone might feel this way.
For one thing, it often makes us uncomfortable to see a friend or family member who no longer resembles the person we once knew. We feel crushed when they no longer remember who we are. Unusual behaviors or sounds might be troubling to us. And, finally, the thought of what might come next can be unsettling.
But, here’s the thing. This isn’t about us. It’s about a precious person who still lives within that sometimes tattered body who still needs to know that they are loved.
And, even though they might not recognize you, or even remember that you were there after you leave, your visit still matters. You see, there’s another kind of memory besides the one we usually think about. It’s called emotional memory, and it means that a person retains a memory of how you made them feel even after you’re no longer there.
There’s also another reason why people tell me they hesitate to visit someone living with dementia. They don’t know what to say or what to do during their visit.
So, today I’m sharing 50 ideas for activities to share with your friend or family member. Of course, you’ll need to pick and choose the ones that are meaningful based on their abilities and interests.
In the end, I hope that these activities will help make your visit more enjoyable and comfortable. Plus, you can leave knowing that you created a positive emotional memory for the person you care about.
50 Ideas For Meaningful Visits
- Look through books containing large, colorful pictures
- Bring your laptop and watch videos of kittens, puppies, or babies
- If a dog lives at the nursing home, brush its fur
- Do crossword puzzles
- Make figurines out of clay
- Polish shoes
- Look at old pictures of cars or farm equipment
- Play board games
- Match Old Maid cards
- Use seed catalogs (Burpee Seeds, Gurney’s, etc.) to plan a garden
- Look at old photo albums
- Massage their hands with scented lotion
- Polish silver
- Fold socks, baby clothes, or washcloths
- Bring magazines and cut out pictures to make collages
- Put together a jigsaw puzzle
- Brush or style their hair
- Play cards
- Go for a walk indoors or outdoors
- Look through baseball cards
- Bring children and a few toys, then watch them play
- Give a manicure
- Pray together
- Sort items (buttons, checkers, playing cards, etc.)
- Bring cookies to decorate and eat
- Color in adult coloring books
- Play catch with a small beach ball
- Sand pieces of wood
- Play a game of bean bag toss
- Sing familiar songs
- Roll a skein of yarn into a ball
- Count and wrap coins
- Plan a meal and write out a grocery list
- Clip coupons
- Take apart a small appliance that no longer works
- Discuss pictures in fashion magazines
- Shuck corn
- Do a makeover
- Read brief stories or poems
- Write a letter to a friend or family member
- Plant seeds indoors
- Work on a scrapbook
- Look through greeting cards
- Read and talk about stories in their hometown newspaper
- Bring flowers and arrange them in vases
- String beads or string cereal for the birds
- Put together and take apart small PVC pipes
- Make leaf tracings
- Finish popular phrases
- Watch an old sitcom that they enjoy
What did I miss? What other activities do you recommend? Please share in the comment section.
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