A Few Activity Ideas

Here are just a few activity ideas you can do with your clients. Of course, each one would need to be modified according to each client's ability, level of dementia, tolerance, focus and attention span. I'll be adding to these intermittently. A good approach is to think of activities that young children enjoy, but find a way to make them age-appropriate for each client according to their level of ability and focus. You don't choose these activities because your client is a child or childish, you choose these type of activities for their level of difficulty and the time it takes to complete them.

Painting .... watch for sales at Michael's and AC Moore, use their 50% off coupons (you can probably find a down loadable printable on a web search). Pick up one of their mini painting kits or purchase materials separately. I have one of those cheapo wooden easels that have a tiny drawer that holds tubes of acrylic and water paints and a couple paint brushes. I actually picked this up at The Christmas Tree Shop for about $10 and it included everything. I also pick up a few inexpensive "faux" canvas' and keep them in my activity box (which is usually in the back of my car). You can also pick up a big pack of white cardstock (thick white paper) at Walmart very inexpensively (this can also be used for greeting cards, which I'll post about later). It's not about how much talent they have or how well they paint ... it's all about working with their creative side or their right brain side. It will stimulate them as well as bring a sense of pride when they complete an attainable goal. It's all about working with their emotions, visual stimulation, auditory stimulation, tactile stimulation and motor skills. It's never about "painting".

• I have a gentle, sweet, quiet little 96 yr. old woman who said she had never painted a day in her life. She said her brothers were the artists, not her. It took a lot of coaxing to get her to pick up a brush and start painting. She needed a lot of encouragement and a little cueing. Wouldn't you know she made the most beautiful painting of pink tulips on a bed of purple and blue violets. She was so proud of what she did. It was a task with an attainable goal and she more than exceeded what she thought she was capable of doing. I had a tear in my eye that day. When I get a chance I'll post a photo of her beautiful painting.

Stained Glass or Suncatchers: Another great idea is the stained glass or suncatchers kits that you paint. You can pick up the individual plastic images and a strip of stained glass paints at Walmart for a couple bucks. Don't forget to pick up a suction cup hook while you're there. This is a great task that also provides a constant visual stimulation (hang it in a sunny window). It's also great as a conversation starter.

Molding Clay or Putty: I'm not talking about Play-doh, ew, that stuff smells horrible and have you ever tried to get it out of carpets?? I'm talking about the non-toxic molding clay or foam clay or putty stuff you can find in any store (even the supermarket). I picked up some non-toxic foam bouncing putty from the dollar store. It was in a container that had a piece of plastic running down the middle to separate the yellow foam putty and the pink foam putty. I presented it to one of my Alzheimer's clients. She immediately went for the pink colored putty. Once held in her warm hands the putty became more pliable. She shaped it into a person, a dog, a cow, a tv (her favorite past-time), a flower, a car .... for a good 45 minutes she stayed on task "creating" different things with this $1.00 putty. It was fantastic. We had a lot of laughs. Again, it isn't about making something "good", it's about exercising the fingers, hand and the mind. It's about the client reaching an attainable goal and feeling good about themselves. In this particular case it also created a lot of giggles and happiness from both of us. It also brought forth some recognition and reminiscing. So hit the dollar stores and see what they have that you can use with your clients. You never know what will "spark" their imagination.

One of my 87 yr. old clients made this pink person sitting in a chair watching tv. Amazing, don't you think?

Here is one more sculpture she made, just today. This is a sculpture of a cat she had decades ago. The cat is standing on a carpet. This woman, in her youth, braided and made all the carpets in her home. She was and is still creative. Today this woman would never be able to make another braided rug but being creative in other ways brings her joy. It's up to us to help them find other creative outlets.

Puzzles:

Another great interactive activity with an attainable goal is a puzzle. You can pick up an inexpensive, 50 piece puzzle at a variety of places. These can be of cute animals (kittens are always nice for the women or dog and trains for the men) or any subject that seems interesting. It's probably best to have one for males and one for females in your activity bin. Back in the "olden days" folks used to sit around listening to the radio while doing puzzles. It's a great tactile stimulation activity that will also encourage fine motor skills and cognative stimulation. I was lucky to find a little pixie puzzle that has 50 little pieces to it in the dollar store for ... no, not a dollar, but 2 for a dollar. Ha! I found that my clients prefer the smaller pieces to the larger. I'm guessing the larger pieces bring back memories of doing "kiddie" puzzles. Remember those? Anyway, if you can't find a mini puzzle locally, they have some HERE. You can also check out their crushed box section for markdowns. I just spotted a mini truck puzzle, 120 pieces, for $3.95.

Even though we may sometimes use what are considered "children's" toys, they don't have to be presented as children's toys. Like anything else, it's all in the presentation. Self-Esteem and integrity are important and treating your clients as the adults they are will help them keep their integrity.

I'll be adding more activities in future posts.