Playing Crazy Eights:A Fun Activity for Long Term Care Residents

Activities directors and other healthcare professionals here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals.

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Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

What you need: Two or more players and a deck of playing cards.

How to play: One player, chosen as the dealer, deals out five cards (seven cards if only two are playing) to each player. The rest of the cards get placed face down as the stock pile. The top card on that pile is turned over face up beside the pile to start the discard pile. The game goes clockwise from the dealer, and the first player must play a card on the discard pile or take one from the stock pile. The game keeps going until someone gets rid of all of his or her cards.

The rules: To be able to play a card on the discard pile, the card must match either the number or the suit of the card on top of the discard pile. For example, if the queen of diamonds is on top, the card to be played must be either any queen or any diamond. All eights are "crazy," meaning you can play them anytime. However, you must say which suit will be played next when you play the eight card.

How to win: Be the first player to get rid of all of your cards.

What else you need to know: In a variation of this game, score penalty points for all cards left in your hand after someone wins. Face cards count as 10 points; eights count as 50 points, and all number cards count as face value. Play until someone gets 500 penalty points.