ebook compliments of
Activities for
Dementia Patients
Purposeful Activities for All Stages
Activities for Dementia Patients
Contents
Introduction: Why Do Activity 8: Stuffed Animals
Dementia Patients Need that ‘Breathe’
Purposeful Activities?
Activity 9: Jewelry Box
Activity 1: Shoe Shine Box
Activity 10: Dolls
Activity 2: Pocketbook
Activity 11: Kitchen
Activity 3: Silverware Storage Containers
Activity 4: PVC Pipe Fittings Activity 12: Toolbox
Activity 5: Paint Swatches Conclusion
Activity 6: Feather Dusters Additional Resources
Activity 7: Coupons
This ebook is based on a presentation by Maria Wellisch, R.N., L.N.F.A.
Wellisch is a nurse, licensed nursing facility administrator and the vice
president of corporate education at mmLearn.org. The experience of caring
for her own mother, along with her professional background in nursing and
long-term care, drives Wellisch’s vision and passion for providing quality
caregiver training. Her initial project to provide online training for
Morningside Ministries staff has grown into an international enterprise that
reaches caregivers around the globe.
This ebook is for educational purposes only and does not replace or supplant consultation with
physicians and other healthcare professionals. mmLearn.org, its authors, presenters and consultants do
not assume liability for errors or omissions.
© 2017 mmlearn.org. All rights reserved.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.2
Activities for Dementia Patients
Introduction
Why Do Dementia Patients Need Purposeful Activities?
Caring for someone with dementia comes with many challenges, not the least of
which is how to keep the person occupied on a daily basis. Whether you provide
care in a professional, family or another setting, you likely face the ongoing
challenge of coming up with activities that are both engaging and meaningful.
You want the person or people you care for to feel they are still making
contributions to the world and doing something that’s worthwhile, despite their
dementia diagnosis. You may also need activities that keep them occupied in
order to give yourself time to get other important things done.
Dementia is a condition that involves an impairment of a person’s mental abilities
that is significant enough to disrupt their daily life. It’s a collection of symptoms
that affect a person’s memory and potentially other faculties, such as reasoning
and judgment. That can make it difficult to find activities that are satisfying,
enriching and safe for a dementia patient.
Purposeful activities help improve the day-to-day experience of those with
dementia and other memory care conditions. So, how do you know what activities
offer purpose and meaning? We have 12 ideas that are inexpensive and easy to
execute. They can help occupy a dementia patient for hours and make your
experience as a caregiver more manageable and meaningful as well.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.3
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 1: Shoe Shine Box
When I came across an old shoe shine kit, it triggered a memory of how important
shining shoes was in my father's life. Every Sunday morning before church, my
dad would shine his shoes. It was a habit as routine as getting in the car to
actually drive to church. Shining shoes is also a great activity for men or women
with dementia.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.4
Activities for Dementia Patients
What you need
It may not be possible to find an old-fashioned shoe shine box like the one my
father had, but today you can go to a dollar store and buy an inexpensive shoe
shine kit. Those kits usually come with a brush, a little sponge, a chamois cloth for
buffing and shoe shine polish.
Shoe shine polish is often black, which can be messy, and it’s toxic, which could
pose a danger if eaten. Find a product that is nontoxic. Companies now offer a
polish that is clear and nontoxic — like a furniture polish — that would be great for
this activity. You can also present the brushing and buffing portion of the activity
without polish at all.
The activity
Offer the dementia patient a pair of shoes, preferably their own, and allow them to
buff and brush the leather. If your patient has lost some hand dexterity, give them
a cloth instead of a brush, which can be easier to handle. For higher functioning
patients, lacing shoes may still be an option. You can allow them to fully or
partially lace the shoes, depending on their level of cognitive and motor function.
Shoe shining and lacing is an activity that is
purposeful, meaningful and age-appropriate. It
allows the dementia patient dignity, especially when
in the company of other people, and the feeling that
they still have something to offer themselves and
others, just as they did in their younger years. It could
engage them for a significant amount of time, and
the end result is nice and shiny shoes.
View the video demonstrating the shoe shine box activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.5
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 2: Pocketbook
A pocketbook can be very entertaining for dementia patients if you provide one
that is filled with items that have significance to the person. Consider offering a
pocketbook, bag or purse that is full but not overstuffed, because you want to
keep things simple. Place things inside the bag that the patient can sort through,
remove and look at.
Objects to include
Choose items that will give the
patient a sense of peace. Some
objects that you might place inside
a pocketbook are:
● Rosary beads
● Holy cards
● A hymnal
● A small picture or spiritual
book
● Packages of tissues
● Keys
● A wallet
● An emery board
● Pictures of loved ones
www.mmlearn.org | pg.6
Activities for Dementia Patients
Items that work well fit easily in a patient’s hand. Select objects that are easy to
use and that your patient or loved one would like. Think about what you or
someone you know would put in their own purse.
Beware of including any items that might trigger negative feelings. If the person
doesn’t drive any longer, or if they’re exit-seeking and still trying to drive, don’t
include keys, for example. But for many dementia patients, keys can be reassuring
and comforting to handle. You might also avoid items that could make a mess,
such as lipstick.
Make the pocketbook activity a tactile experience
Another significant component is the feel or texture of the pocketbook.
Remember that patients can enjoy feeling things. You can find bags that are soft,
leather or cloth. Especially if the patient is a woman, a pocketbook may be a
reminder of experiences that they had earlier in life, as a mother or a professional.
My own mother loved putting things in and outside of her wallet or a little storage
box.
Instead of a pocketbook, you can also substitute something similar that is easy to
open, close and handle. Use the variation that works for you.
Pocketbooks can be very positive in that they provide an entertaining activity for
the dementia patient, who will enjoy taking the items out and putting them back
inside.
On the other hand, be aware that a pocketbook can be a signal to the patient that
they’re going somewhere or that the caregiver is leaving. If a patient observes you
putting a pocketbook over your shoulder, it could make them want to follow you
and leave. Avoid putting the pocketbook over your shoulder when you’re preparing
to leave and store it out of sight of the patient.
View the video demonstrating the pocketbook activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.7
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 3: Silverware
Another simple activity for dementia patients is
handling silverware. Sets of forks, knives and
spoons are used multiple times a day in homes
and memory care settings alike, and utensils
go in and out of a drawer, the dishwasher or
the sink.
A wonderful activity that can make a dementia patient feel that they are
meaningfully participating in daily life starts with a regular tray of silverware. You
can either remove all of the silverware or leave one utensil in each section of the
tray. The fewer items there are in the silverware tray to start, the easier it will be
for the person to be able to sort and put things back. You can determine where
your patient feels comfortable by first removing all of the pieces, and then seeing
if they do better if you leave some pieces in the tray. Once you find out the
person’s level of comfort, you can let them try to refill the tray.
It doesn't matter if they put a spoon with a fork or a knife, or if they move things
around and put them in different orders. It does not have to be perfect. We're not
seeking perfection, we’re just looking for a meaningful activity. Once the person
has finished and has put everything back into the tray, you can remove the
utensils and ask them to help you again. Or you can put the items in the
dishwasher. If the person is high-functioning enough, you can have them set the
table for you.
Just be aware of good hygiene, and wash items as needed after this activity.
View the video demonstrating the silverware activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.8
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 4: PVC Pipe Fittings
We all love toys, even adults. Another activity you can offer to occupy dementia
patients involves what I consider adult toys. If you go to a big box home
improvement store, you can purchase pieces of PVC piping for as little as 25
cents. Look for piping that screws together.
Allow the person you care for to put
the pipe fittings together and take
them apart like puzzle pieces. Even
if they can’t put them together, they
can take them out of the storage
bag or container and put them back
inside. This is an activity that can
keep someone occupied for a
period of time then be neatly put
away.
Imagine you’re trying to cook dinner,
repair something or help a child with
homework. Or maybe you work in a
facility and need to focus your
attention on caring for another
resident. These PVC pipe fittings
provide an inexpensive, enjoyable
way to occupy a person’s time and
attention.
View the video demonstrating the PVC pipe fitting activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.9
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 5: Paint Swatches
Another activity inspired by a trip to the home improvement store involves paint
swatches. Obviously, these cards come in many colors, but their textures vary as
well. Feeling different textures — from slick, high gloss to coarse — can be
satisfying for a dementia patient. You can also use these swatches in a variety of
other ways.
You can create something like a puzzle for matching colors. For example, get
three or four of the same swatches and have the person match them by color or
by size. You can also ask them to help you determine which color to paint a wall.
That option could require more involvement in the activity on your part, but
perhaps not. Be creative! When collecting paint swatches, you can also let the
employees at the store know what you're doing, and they're likely to be very
helpful.
An important part of working with senior citizens is coming up with activities that
are age appropriate. Ideally, you want to find alternatives for activities using
puzzles their grandchildren might be playing with, for example. That’s why paint
swatches are a great option to offer as part of an activity.
View the video demonstrating the paint swatches activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.10
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 6: Feather Dusters
In addition to caring for someone with dementia, you probably always have other
daily tasks to complete as well. Those tasks can include household chores like
vacuuming and cleaning. Often with housecleaning, the person we care for wants
to be involved and helping. Unfortunately, though, sometimes that means they get
in the way instead of being helpful.
For a low cost, you can purchase an old-fashioned feather duster from a big box
or dollar store. The great thing about dusting is that cleaning is a normal part of
everyday life in many households and it does more than just entertain or occupy
someone.
Enlisting a dementia patient to help
with cleaning using a feather duster
provides a meaningful activity that
also helps with a person’s range of
motion. Dusting can help loosen a
person’s joints as they reach, twist and
turn. This activity provides a bit of
exercise along with a feeling that
they’re providing you valuable
assistance.
View the video demonstrating the
feather duster activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.11
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 7: Coupons
Coupon clipping is an activity that
will be meaningful to many — either
they have done it in the past or
remember their folks having done
so when they were a child. Save the
free coupons you receive in the
mail and purchase an inexpensive
pair of safety scissors. If the
dementia patient you care for has
the ability to cut — using safety
scissors — they might even clip a
coupon that’s useful for you.
Just remember: Someone may be able to cut, but they might not cut along the
borders of the coupon correctly. They might cut right across the coupon. It doesn't
matter — that is not what is important.
Coupon clipping gives a dementia patient a purpose through an adult activity
instead of one that’s suitable for children, like cutting out paper dolls or coloring
with crayons. There’s nothing wrong with those activities, but it’s ideal to give
dementia patients the feeling that what they're doing is helping you. At the same
time, it's keeping them occupied so that you can do something else. Of course if
you have time, you can sit down and engage with them over the coupons.
View the video demonstrating the coupons activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.12
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 8: Stuffed
Animals That ‘Breathe’
Almost everyone loves animals. For about $20 to $40 online, you can order a
plush cat or dog that appears to breathe or snore. These stuffed animals are
powered by batteries, and you can watch and feel the subtle up-and-down motion
of their “breath.” Some arrive in a box with a little soft bed, and others also come
with a brush.
Whenever you’re caring for people who have dementia, especially in the later
stages of the disorder, texture and feel is important. Letting them hold a plush
puppy or kitty in their laps gives them something soft and soothing to stroke or
brush. It’s another activity that makes them feel involved and like they have a
purpose. They feel as if they’re soothing and comforting the animal and, at the
same time, it’s providing a similar effect for them!
Obviously, with this activity, the animal cannot be hurt. However, if the person with
dementia expresses any concern about dropping or hurting the animal, then you
can just gently move it out of their lap and place it beside them. They can stroke
the animal in that position.
These stuffed creatures make a great gift. Many people with dementia want to
keep their pets when they move to a facility. Sometimes those wishes can be
accommodated, and other times not. There also can come a time when a person
has to give up a pet because they cannot handle the responsibilities, and the pet
may not be safe. So this makes a great activity for someone who has enjoyed
having pets in the past, or anyone who might like the feeling of connecting with an
animal.
View the video demonstrating the breathing pets activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.13
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 9: Jewelry Box
Another affordable and easy activity involves a jewelry box. This activity is
appropriate for men and women, though it may feel more natural to present it to
women. You can purchase a jewelry box and jewelry at a flea market or garage
sale for not much money if you don’t already have these items around the house.
Fill each compartment with a few pieces of jewelry and similar items, such as
bracelets, rosary beads and the like. Allow the person or people you care for to go
through the items and help them try on the pieces of jewelry if they express an
interest. Simplify the items, depending on what the person can handle. Even if the
pieces are of modest value, they will give you and the person something to talk
about and may trigger reminiscences. Reminiscence therapy, which involves
talking about past events or experiences with tangible prompts, can be very
beneficial for dementia patients.
Let the person you are caring for bring
out each of the items, talk about them
or try them on, and then eventually
return them to the box. This simple
activity is age appropriate, keeping the
person engaged while maintaining a
sense of dignity.
View the video demonstrating the
jewelry box activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.14
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 10: Dolls
You always want to offer people with dementia activities that are age appropriate,
and interacting with dolls may initially seem like it doesn’t meet that criteria.
However, sometimes as people grow older, their memories reach back in time,
including a time when they may have had babies themselves.
Those who are experiencing anxiety with their dementia often relax when you give
them a baby doll that they can hold, rock, cuddle and swaddle in a soft, warm
blanket. This can be a meaningful activity that gives someone a feeling of
purpose, in addition to calming feelings of anxiety. It may remind them of their
own children or grandchildren.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.15
Activities for Dementia Patients
Even if you are on a budget, you can find simple and affordable dolls at your local
drugstore that are soft and easy to hold. You don’t have to settle for a hard or rigid
doll. Also, the cover that you put around the doll may be as meaningful as the doll
itself — offering items with a pleasing texture is so important when caring for
dementia patients. If at any point during the activity they begin to get agitated or
want to get rid of the doll or throw the doll, just gently take it away.
Additional baby carriage activity
Sometimes people will want to push the baby
in a carriage. Unfortunately, most real or toy
carriages will not be stable enough, and you
should discourage the use of those. However,
some walkers or rollators have baskets that
make for great simulated baby carriages. You
can fit the baby and its blanket inside the
basket and allow the person to walk the doll
that way. It’s a win-win situation because the
person is also getting exercise, which helps
with mobility. Some people may become so
attached to a doll that they wish to keep it with
them at all times. This activity is a wonderful
tool for anxiety.
View the video demonstrating the
dolls activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.16
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 11:
Kitchen Storage Containers
These days, you can buy kitchen storage containers with lids in all different sizes
for very little money. These work something like blocks in that someone can stack
them and match the lids to the containers. However, unlike the blocks you might
give a child, kitchen storage containers are age appropriate. Depending on a
person’s level of function, they may just be able to hold the pieces and take them
in and out of a box. Regardless of the stage of dementia, so many activities can
be created using these simple pieces.
Another affordable purchase is a set of measuring cups, which also can be fit
inside one another and stacked. Measuring spoons provide a similar function.
Handling these items will spur thoughts and conversations about cooking and
planning meals, which can be engaging. It also offers the person with dementia
the feeling that they’re helping someone by organizing everyday kitchen items.
View the video demonstrating the storage containers activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.17
Activities for Dementia Patients
Activity 12: Toolbox
This final idea works much like the
pocketbook and jewelry box activities. A
toolbox is another inexpensive container
to purchase and fill with interesting items
for a meaningful and engaging activity.
This activity is not gender specific but
may especially appeal to men.
A toolbox has a handle, so someone can carry it around with them, giving them a
sense of purpose. Opening and closing boxes is interesting for people at any age
— it offers that element of surprise. Obviously, you want to be very careful to put
items in the toolbox that will be safe for the individual. That means having an
understanding of the person’s level of dementia and how they behave. Don’t put a
hammer in a toolbox with somebody that could hurt someone else or themselves
with it.
Choose items that the person can safely handle and might evoke reminiscences.
Some things you can put in the toolbox include: PVC piping, pieces of locks, soft
paintbrushes, a lightweight tape measure. A level is another item that holds great
intrigue. The person may not remember how to use it, but they often enjoy looking
at the bubble inside. It’s an item you can demonstrate and talk about. Keys are
another great item to include, unless they will trigger someone into wanting to get
in a car and drive. Anything that someone can safely take out, look at, sort and put
away works for this simple toolbox activity.
View the video demonstrating the toolbox activity here.
www.mmlearn.org | pg.18
Activities for Dementia Patients
Conclusion
Even with a dementia diagnosis, people still want to feel they are involved with
their household or community. That’s what most people want, regardless of age.
It's a wonderful gift to be able to give someone a meaningful activity to do. When
you're caring for someone with dementia, it can be hard to come up with ideas on
your own to keep that person active and feeling that their life still has purpose.
Hopefully these simple, inexpensive suggestions prove helpful in your caregiving.
Some dementia patients may only enjoy some of these activities, while others may
find hours of meaningful engagement with all of them, time and again. Find what
works best for you.
Additional Resources
Watch free caregiver training videos on dementia activities by clicking here.
Get updates about new mmlearn.org videos by clicking below:
www.mmlearn.org | pg.19
Activities for Dementia Patients
About mmLearn.org
mmLearn.org was created as a web-based program of the Elizabeth McGown
Training Institute to provide quality, consistent caregiver training for Morningside
Ministries employees and staff as well as residents and family members. Since its
inception in 2007, mmLearn.org has produced more than 1,000 web-based
caregiver training videos and has grown from a local service for Morningside
employees to providing much needed training to caregivers around the world.
mmLearn.org offers real-life, quality caregiver training to anyone seeking practical
ways to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of older adults in their
care. Whether you're a healthcare professional, a family caregiver, or seeking
guidance as a pastoral or spiritual caregiver — we know that you'll find
mmLearn.org an essential learning tool in caring for older adults.
mmlearn.org
www.mmlearn.org | pg.20
