Activities for Alzheimer's Disease Patients

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eHow

by Molly Land

It can be a challenge to come up with ideas for activities for Alzheimer's disease patients. With moderate and advanced Alzheimer's, the patient may have an extremely short attention span and poor control over her physical movements. Patients with early Alzheimer's can become depressed or frustrated over their inability to perform tasks they once found easy

Enjoyable Activities
Engage your patient in an activity that was once enjoyable to him to see if it stimulates interest. Any activity that he enjoys doing that engages his mind and lets him perform physical movement will benefit his body, mind and spirit. The goal of the activities should be to provide pleasure and not to try to get your patient to perform at a certain skill level. For example, if your patient was once an avid gardener, let him get his hands in the dirt and pull weeds or plant seeds.

Group Activities
Play games that appeal to all skill levels, like batting a balloon hanging from a string suspended above a round table at which the patients are seated. If possible, separate your patients according to the severity of their disease so the less impaired can work on puzzles and read books, while those in later stages of the disease are kept occupied with simpler activities like squeezing stress relief balls and playing balloon tether ball.

Dignity
Treat your patients with dignity and as the adults that they are, even though they may act childlike. Avoid games and puzzles that are obviously for children and are branded with cartoon characters. Puzzles are good for exercising the mind, but it is better to choose puzzles with nature themes or animals instead of cartoons.

Passive Activities........read more Activities for Alzheimer's Disease Patients