Giving Purpose in the Day-to-Day for Alzheimer's Residents
For people with Alzheimer's disease, purpose is essential. Providing meaningful daily activities can help slow the decline of the disease, foster a sense of engagement, and reduce depression and anxiety.
Memory care and other long-term care communities are vital in creating a supportive environment where residents can thrive. By understanding each resident's abilities and tailoring activities accordingly, staff can help residents find purpose in their day-to-day lives.
Understanding Each Resident's Abilities
The first step in providing purposeful activities is understanding each resident's abilities. This can be done using tools such as the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), which assesses cognitive function. Once staff have a good understanding of each resident's abilities, they can tailor activities accordingly.
For example, residents with early-stage Alzheimer's may be able to participate in more complex activities, such as cooking, baking, or gardening. Residents with more advanced Alzheimer's may need simpler activities like folding laundry, sorting objects, or listening to music.
Daily Activities for Various Function Levels
Many daily activities can be adapted to meet the needs of residents who function at different cognitive levels. By utilizing the GDS, staff can find the activities that best meet the individual resident’s needs. Some examples include:
Stage 4-5 (Mild & Moderate Cognitive Decline): Gross motor games, craft projects, sorting/stringing beads, puzzles, coloring, painting, sorting and folding clothes, and setting a table.
Stage 6 (Severe Cognitive Decline): Repetitive activities, sanding/coloring/placing tiles, stir juice or batter, bean bag toss/catch, and dusting/washing tables.
Stage 7 (Very Severe Cognitive Decline): Tactile stimulation (rub lotion on arms and hands), music, and encourage sitting while able to help with head control
Encouraging Emotional Connections
Emotional connections are essential for people with Alzheimer's disease. Activities that foster positive feelings can help residents feel loved and supported. Some examples of these activities include:
Listening to music: Music can evoke powerful emotions and memories. Listening to familiar music can help residents feel happy and relaxed.
Dancing: Dancing is a great way to get residents moving and having fun. It can also help to improve balance and coordination.
Interacting with babies, children, or animals: Interacting with babies, children, and animals can bring residents joy. It can also help to stimulate cognitive function and communication skills.
Recalling memories through old photos and memorabilia: Reminiscing about old memories can help residents feel connected to their past. It can also help to improve cognitive function and mood.
Enjoyable Sensory Experiences
Sensory experiences can be very calming and enjoyable for people with Alzheimer's disease. Some examples of sensory activities include:
Hand, neck, or foot massages: Massages can help to reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Hair brushing: Hair brushing can be a soothing experience. It can also help to improve circulation and reduce stress.
Enjoying scents from fresh flowers, potpourri, essential oils, and fragrances: Pleasant scents can evoke positive emotions and memories.
Interacting with different textures, including animals and materials, in a sensory box: Interacting with different textures can help to stimulate the senses and provide a calming experience.
Benefits and Outcomes
Incorporating purposeful daily activities into memory care and long-term care living communities can have several positive outcomes for residents. For example, it can help to:
Slow the decline of the disease
Foster a sense of engagement
Reduce depression and anxiety
Improve mood
Promote relaxation
Enhance cognitive function
Stimulate communication skills
Encourage emotional connections
Improve the quality of life
If you're a caregiver in Central Virginia and need information about memory care communities or other senior living options to meet the needs of your loved one better, Benchmark Senior Solutions can help.
We offer free senior housing advisory services for older adults in Richmond VA, and surrounding areas. That means we use our knowledge and expertise to help your loved one find the perfect place to call home based on their medical needs, budget, and lifestyle.
