If you work with or know someone with Alzheimer's please help . .?

Question

I am an activity proffessional, I work with Alzheimer patients. I am always looking for new ideas for activities, if you have any please let me know.

We do a ton of stuff currently . . . bingo, kickball, table ball, excerise, cooking, pudding painting, fingerpainting, reminiscing, sing a longs, rhythm band, hangman, guess the scent, coloring, and similar things. If you have any new ideas for a group of about 20 I would appreciate it!

Answer 1

Memorize Proverbs or Psalms.

Answer 2

Sorry, no ideas. But let me congratulate you on your work.

Answer 3

Balloon Volleyball always seems to be a favourite. Who doesn't love playing with balloons, and it's easy and safe for everyone to participate in chairs. Playing with balloons always seems to bring out lots of laughter. You'll get lots of exercise "helping" the balloon around the circle at times.. but it gets everyone moving and laughing.

Puzzles are great to help dexterity. Simple children's puzzles with easily identifiable pictures are great. Depending on the clientele that you're working with, more complex puzzles can let those who are more highly functioning challenge themselves. Remember to match the puzzle with the client, as many can get frustrated easily.

Again, many activities that children like are great for dexterity and creativity. Try making pictures with noodles, again, something that makes for lots of conversation and allows for lots of creativity.

I'm a big fan of anything involving music, especially age appropriate music. Some clients, despite significant loss of fuctioning, are still crack cases at "name that tune" or "guess the next line". Chair dancing can get everyone moving... choreograph a little routine seated and help everyone participate.

Bean bag toss using big hoops. Blowing bubbles just for kicks, especially those "big" bubble kits that are getting big with kids. This is also great for clients who have some respiratory impairment, as are whiffle ball races - set up a little course on a table with lines. Supply your clients with large bore straws or tubes (NOT the regular drinking straws). Have them blow their whiffle balls across the finish line!!

Hope there's a few ideas in here to inspire!!

Answer 4

My Grandmother (who had Alzheimer's)  used to love to sing more then anything else before she passed away. It was probably the last part of her that was left in the end, were her memories of old songs from her childhood or that she used to sing to her children. You mentioned singing already though...

How about.. Buy em a Nintendo Wii.

Answer 5

Do you have them cut out things from magazines and make a collage?

Have you guys thought about getting the wii game system?

What about some of those party games or making up a new one?  (Scattegories, Guesstures, etc.)

Answer 6

I agree with flower, looks like you have a good thing going here with people that can be very difficult to deal with. Thank you

Answer 7

My mother had this awful disease...it was like she could see with her eyes but could not react to things like she use to.  We made her up some flash cards with the alphabet and then made her use them in some words.....which she enjoyed....kind of like yahtzee....but without rolling the dice. She started out with short term memory lose...and then developed alzheimer.  It is really sad.  I am glad people like you help them.