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Quick and Easy Activities |
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Here are some quick and easy things you can try with a person with Alzheimer's disease.
- Call the person by name
- Make eye contact and smile
- Ask the person to “show me” an object
- Tell the person he or she is loved
- Give and receive hugs
- Give a compliment: “Say Grammy, purple looks good on you.”
- Ask for an opinion: “What do you think of my new hair cut?” or “Does my sweater go with my pants?”
- Keep a balloon in the air
- Point at an animal, bird, plant, car, etc. seen through the window
- Bring up a memory from the life story of the person: “Tell me what it was like living in The Dirty Thirties? Did the grasshoppers really eat the paint off the buildings?”
- Give a hand massage
- Share a new hand lotion and talk about its pleasant scent
- Blow bubbles
- Share a special treat if allowed
- Show a magic trick
- Bring in family photos to share
- Hide something in one of your hands and ask the person to guess which hand it’s in
- Look at a flower arrangement and talk about the different colours, textures, and scents experienced
- Ask for advice on how to talk to your parents
- Tell a funny story or joke
- Do a quick dance to some fun music playing in the background
- Play the person’s favorite piece(s) of music (use of a CD/cassette tape player or the facility’s piano)
- Play a card game that the person stills knows and enjoys
- Point out bright colours in items of clothing, etc.
- Ask for help with a chore, such as folding laundry, making a bed, sweeping, polishing furniture, etc.
- Model a new hat(s)
- Paint the person’s fingernails and/or toenails; apply makeup such as lipstick or blush
- Clown around for a bit, make funny faces, do the chicken dance, or the hokey pokey
- Encourage the person to sing a favorite song with you
- Go outside for some fresh air
Note: Adapted from: Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer’s
Care, by Virginia Bell and David Troxel. Health Professional Press. Inc.
Baltimore, 1997.
