When it comes to finding activities for our loved ones with dementia and vision impairment, it can be challenging. It is important to ensure that every day offers purpose, joy and meaning for them. When getting started try thinking about their current or past hobbies, interests and lifestyle. By using their preferences as a guideline to come up with creative and engaging activities. Here are some ideas to help get you started. Our Windsor-Essex home care team has created low vision and dementia tips to help assist you.
- By creating a playlist of loved ones favorite songs or genre of music, getting them to dance or sing or keeping the beat by clapping their hands or a homemade instrument such as a container with seeds.
- By reading aloud from an article or their favorite magazine or book. Once done, engage in a conversation on the topic that was just read.
- By getting loved ones up and moving can help improve muscle tone and circulation, as well as help to promote daytime wakefulness and improve sleep in the night. If the weather permits, exercising outdoors is a great way to get some vitamin D and fresh air. Try walks in nature, pointing out the specific birds, flowers and trees that you pass on the way.
- By going to a variety of tactile art mediums, which can be handled without the use of vision, such as clay or sculpting sand. Also by creating art by gluing shells, or buttons or pasta to create patterns.
- By including a loved one in ability-appropriate tasks around the house such as food preparation offers a variety of options such as washing and tearing lettuce for salad, peeling and breaking apart bananas or oranges. Or by asking a loved one to help fold some laundry or sort some socks.
- By trying pet therapy. Specially trained pet therapists can provide safe trusting cats or dogs for them to pet or hold. While this may seem minor, the joy and relaxing effects of spending time with an animal can be significant.
Our Windsor-Essex home care professionals at Amy’s Helping Hands are highly skilled with creative ideas to engage or loved ones to help make each day more enjoyable. Contact us online at amyshelpinghands.ca or call us at 519-915-4370 for a dependable care partner today
