Activities For People Living With Dementia

 Participating in enjoyable activities provides vital engagement and enrichment for people living with dementia. While short-term memory, concentration and ability to understand and process language may decline, creative self-expression and connecting with others remain meaningful.   By tailoring activities to preserved capabilities, you can create positive connections and improve well-being. Here at KYN Care Homes in London, we offer activities for people living with different stages of dementia..

What are the Benefits of Keeping Active for People with Living Dementia?

Staying as active as possible (physically, socially and mentally) benefits people living with dementia in many ways:  

• Stimulates brain activity to slow cognitive decline potentially
• Enhances mood and emotional well-being
• Allows social connections that reduce isolation
• Preserves a sense of identity, purpose and dignity
• Provides an outlet for creative self-expression
• Promotes relaxation through sensory experiences
• Enables movement to maintain strength and coordination

  When caring for a person living with dementia in their own homes, family and friends can support and improve their loved ones' quality of life by providing various activities tailored to their abilities and preferences, or connecting them to community groups that provide social interaction and engagement.

Matching Activities to Interests and Abilities

It’s essential to suggest appropriate activities for someone living with dementia to create feelings of inclusion and achievement, instead of frustration and disinterest. Two key factors shape this decision:

Interest Level

Aim for genuine interest rather than assuming every traditionally "enriching" activity suits everyone. Observe what activities your loved one currently enjoys and participates in with relative ease.   Also reflect on lifelong hobbies, career interests, responsibilities they took pride in, and favourite music or books from the past. By finding these connections to their personal history, you can motivate engagement.   But don’t get stuck in the past. Interests evolve, so be willing to experiment to discover newfound passions. Monitor your loved one’s engagement levels with new activities to decide whether to continue. What matters most is enjoyable participation.

Functional Ability

As dementia progresses, abilities change. Activities that require extensive short-term memory, sequencing skills or concentration become increasingly more difficult, while sensory, social, intuitive and creative outlets often remain rewarding - even into late-stage dementia care. Make sure to adapt activities and expectations to focus on your loved one’s capabilities that allow engagement and enjoyment.

Activity Ideas for Moderate Stage Dementia

Many people in the early stages of dementia can, with assistance, continue to engage in all of the activities they enjoyed before they developed dementia. In the moderate stage of dementia, people’s changing cognitive function may affect their ability to engage in their usual activities. However, many activities can be adapted so that a person with moderate dementia can continue to take part in them. We recommend activities like:  

• Reminiscing with photographs, music and keepsakes
• Light gardening or working with plants
• Sorting or folding fabrics and clothing
• Preparing simple foods like sandwiches
• Organising items by common attributes
• Shelving library books
• Exercising with gentle stretching bands or weights
• Reading adapted short stories out loud
• Singing or listening to well-loved music

  You can easily adapt these activities' complexity levels over time to maintain an appropriate challenge.

Activity Ideas for Later Stage Dementia

As dementia progresses, a person’s communication difficulties increase. Memory loss and limited attention may result in them being unable to meaningfully participate in many activities. Here, activities should shift focus to multi-sensory and social elements that immerse the person in the present moment rather than requiring recall or knowledge retention. Even then, creativity continues to blossom. We recommended activities such as:  

• Textures and touch - Finger painting and Play Dough sculptures
• Sounds and music - Playing simple instruments and dancing
• Aromas - Flower arranging and baking cookies
• Sorting and organising - Folding towels, matching socks
• Nature observing - Bird watching through windows, gardening
• Socialising - Conversations with visitors and singing together
• Pet therapy - Stroking furry companions
• Reminiscing - Looking over old photos together

  The key is providing sensory stimulation, social connections, self-expression outlets and fun elements suited to your loved one’s capabilities.  

Incorporating Activities Into Daily Care Routines

Many people living with dementia will have spent a lot of time doing things around the home such as cooking, gardening and doing things for others.  As dementia progresses, they may have lost the ability to cook a meal or keep a well manicured garden but may still want to help out.  Weaving engaging activities into your loved one’s daily care routines can enhance their quality of life on an ongoing basis. For example,  

• Someone who liked cooking may be able to cut up the vegetables or decorate an iced cake
• A keen gardener may enjoy deadheading or watering plants
• Putting on a person’s favourite music and inviting them to dance for a few minutes may bring a welcome moment of joy and laughter

  Even household chores can double as activities when you adapt them creatively. Folding laundry, dusting surfaces or sweeping the floor in short bursts provides cognitive stimulation through organising items, sequencing motions and decision-making.  

KYN's Specialised Dementia Care Activities

Maintaining meaningful activity engagement enhances the physical health and emotional well-being of people living with dementia. Here at KYN, music therapy, art creation, sensory gardens, cognitive games, intergenerational visiting and more give endless options for socialising, creative expression and mental stimulation.   To learn more about KYN's dementia care activities in London, contact us at +44 (0) 20 3535 1923 or email enquiries@kyn.co.uk. Discover how we craft personalised care activities to preserve joy and purpose.