Memory Care Made Fun: Creative Activities for Those with Alzheimer's and Dementia

Exploring different methods of engaging with your loved one as they navigate dementia or Alzheimer's can come with its challenges. Continuing to create ways of relating and connecting is important, and sometimes requires a bit of creativity.   

Our team here at Haciendas at Grace Village is grateful to offer practices and tools that allow space to explore different creative activities to facilitate deeper connection, all with careful consideration of our memory care residents’ needs. Whether you and your loved one are interested in music and art therapy, crafting projects, or spending time outdoors, there are a variety of options to consider.   

Why Creative Activities are Supportive for Those Experiencing Memory Loss 

For individuals, caregivers, and family members, creative activities are supportive for more reasons than one. Being intentional about exploring a variety of fun and creative outlets can increase the quality of life for those in memory care, stimulate their minds, and even improve physical cognition. Studies have even shown that engagement in creative activities, such as music and art therapy, increases cognitive function and neuroplasticity.  

According to one study conducted by the University of Texas’ School of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, creative activities strengthen the neural pathways to memories, or to the hippocampus. Keep reading to learn more about a variety of accessible, fun, and failure-free methods of engaging with your loved ones. 

Music and Art Therapy 

One of the more popular tools for cultivating engagement includes music and art therapy. Music is stimulating to the mind, can evoke deep emotions, and in some cases, it can even improve eating.  

To practice music therapy with your loved one, play songs from their younger years and even their childhood. Sing-a-long and karaoke can support interaction, and be fun for all parties involved. Playing music that residents listened to when they were younger can tell a story of their past and spark feelings of joy and reminiscence. Dancing also stimulates physical and mental activity, and provokes a feeling of aliveness and excitement. Additionally, relaxing music soothes frustration and anxiety that can surface. 

Outside of the realm of music, art practices such as drawing and painting act as powerful outlets for seniors to express themselves without words and explore artistic communication. Language can begin to deteriorate as seniors grow older, so art therapy acts as a powerful mechanism to exercise the mind in a different way. To engage your loved one in an artistic activity, consider encouraging free form expression, suggesting a project to spur inspiration, or simply joining in on the art form with them. This can be a great way to not only connect with your loved one, but also support the stimulation of their mind in a fun, failure-free way. Be sure to avoid criticism and allow positive feedback to flow from your heart. Asking questions about their creation and process in creation is a powerful contribution to the activity. 

Spending Time Outdoors 

Fresh air goes a long way, and being in nature is a lovely way to engage with your loved one. Spending time outdoors weaves into the fabric of living a healthy life, and for individuals living with dementia, it can especially boost mental wellbeing. It also provides an opportunity to engage the senses, spark old memories, and increase socialization.  

Loneliness can, unfortunately, be common among dementia care residents, as communication difficulties create obstacles to holding conversations and relating to others. Our certified dementia care practitioners understand the importance of curating social spaces and opportunities for your loved ones to connect and encourage you to consider taking activities outdoors to support overall connection and wellbeing.  

For example, a group nature walk outside creates an occasion for social time as well as some light exercise to engage in physical activity. Gardening is also a great option that brings the senses online and allows individuals to get some time in the sun and receive some much needed vitamin D. If you have the opportunity to take your loved one on a day trip to a place they remember longingly, it can provide feelings of comfort and allow them to explore a past memory in more depth.   

Creating a Memory Box  

When it comes to dementia, both short-term and long-term memory loss have profound impacts on emotional and mental health. A powerful activity for those in memory care is creating a memory box. This project can support in engaging the mind and initiating deeper insight into past memories, which cultivates a deeper capacity to access emotions of joy that are associated with fond memories.   

Memory boxes can be created with keepsakes, photos, memorabilia from high school or past holidays, perfumes, newspaper cuttings, music, and much more. The items that are included in the memory box should trigger a range of emotions for your loved one, and engage the five senses. The benefits of this activity range from sparking conversation, bringing up fond memories from a person’s life, and being an overall enjoyable and fun process for all parties involved.  

Cognitive Exercises and Simple Tasks 

Simple tasks and gentle cognitive exercises like puzzles, games, and telling jokes are simple ways of stimulating the brain and providing social engagement. This also increases the emotional connection between residents and caregivers, which our team deeply values. Engaging the brain through crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and mazes also strengthens the neural pathways that support memory. In fact, a profound study found that memory decline was drastically slowed by two and a half years in individuals living with dementia who regularly work on crossword puzzles. Additionally, games that are good for cognitive exercise include UNO, Dominos, Go Fish, Bingo, Checkers, and Solitaire.  

Deciding What Therapies Might Be Supportive for Your Loved-One 

When considering all of the options for various therapies, it is supportive to know what their hobbies are and what they liked to do in their childhood or young-adult years. The possibilities for creating fun, failure-free activities with your loved ones overcoming the obstacles associated with memory loss are truly limitless.   

Our memory care team here at Haciendas at Grace Village is well versed in the modalities which engage our seniors, and we prioritize these in our residents’ daily activities. We are happy to address any questions you may have and invite you to contact us to learn more about our team and what we have to offer you and your family.