Supportive Services Team’s “Dementia Support Corner”
Although San Diego is known for its beautiful weather year-round, we still have some particularly hot days that make going outside feel unpleasant. For people living with dementia, the heat can be even more harmful as they have less of an ability to regulate their body temperature. To deal with the heat, Kristen Romea, VP of Programs at Alzheimer’s San Diego, recommends planning dementia-friendly activities that you can enjoy indoors. This piece will dive into how to plan meaningful and enjoyable activities indoors for the person you’re caring for.
Planning Indoor Dementia-Friendly Activities
When planning meaningful activities for a person living with dementia, Kristen recommends thinking about the person’s personality, hobbies, and interests. “The most important thing to consider when planning any activity, no matter the season, is the person that you’re planning for,” says Kristen. For example, if the person living with dementia always enjoyed cooking, consider planning a day to make their favorite recipe at home.
It is also important to consider the limitations of the person living with dementia when you are planning any activity (indoor or outdoor). In the early stage of dementia people have fewer limitations, but as their dementia progresses their abilities will change as well. Feel free to adjust any of the activities suggested below to better fit the ability of the person you are caring for. If you feel stuck trying to figure out how to modify a particular activity, give us a call! Kristen and her team of Dementia Care Coaches love brainstorming ideas to modify activities and provide personalized guidance. No matter what stage of the disease the person you are caring for is in, there is fun to be had indoors. Kristen recommends trying out these indoor activities this summer:
Early Stage
- Go see a movie (tickets are usually cheaper for movie times during the day)
- Go on a scenic drive and play some music while enjoying the AC
- Check out the museums at Balboa Park
- Go on a walk or shop at an indoor mall
- Go to a “paint your own pottery” studio
- Baking/cooking – an easy activity to modify to make it appropriate for every person
- You and your person can shop for ingredients, mix, chop, and participate in the activity together
- Try making fresh lemonade! No cooking required and perfect for warm summer days
- Arts and crafts (painting, air dry clay, collages, drawing)
- Go out to lunch and invite a friend to join
- Try out Alzheimer’s San Diego’s Exercise Video Library (at the bottom of that page)
Middle Stage
- Dementia-friendly social activities at Alzheimer’s San Diego
- Cooking a recipe – especially family recipes with meaningful memories
- A caregiver can delegate parts of the process to fit the abilities of the person living with dementia. They might not be able to safely chop ingredients, but they can still mix ingredients, etc.
- Arts and crafts (painting, air dry clay, collages, drawing)
- Go out to lunch and invite a friend
- Create a movie night at home with popcorn
- Ask for help around the house (It always feels good to be productive!)
- Folding laundry
- Sorting and organizing old photos
- Create an indoor color scavenger hunt (find one thing in the house to match each color of the rainbow)
- Listen to music or have a dance party
Late Stage
For the late stage of the disease, Kristen recommends focusing on sensory activities and things the person you’re caring for can passively enjoy at home. Activity ideas include:
- Movie night at home where the lights are dim and they can smell the popcorn
- Listen to music together – especially songs from the person living with dementia’s teenage years and early adulthood
- Look at photo albums together and tell stories about what was happening in the photos
- Reading a story out loud to the person you are caring for. Focus on positive/short stories like those found in Chicken Soup for the Soul.
- You can sign up for their free newsletter and get sent short stories straight to your inbox.
- Brush their hair while listening to relaxing music
- Massage lotion into their hands/feet
- Create a “Busy Box” filled with sensory things from the dollar store (items with unique textures, colors, or shapes)
If you are planning on some outdoor activities in the summer, Kristen says to keep in mind that people living with dementia often forget to drink water or drink enough water. “Having extra water available and easily accessible while you are out and about is important. For more information, give us a call at 858.492.4400 or check out this blog on hydration tips for summer heat. Kristen also recommends having sunscreen on hand “because people living with dementia will not always verbalize when they feel a sunburn.” And don’t forget, people living with dementia have a harder time regulating their body heat, so bring lots of layers if you are moving between indoor and outdoor activities.
Get free guidance in indoor activities from our dementia team today:
For more information on planning activities indoors, reach out to us today and speak with a Dementia Care Coach who can provide personalized dementia support and guidance based on your unique needs. Call 858.492.4400 or fill out a quick form to talk to a compassionate Dementia Care Coach at Alzheimer’s San Diego. Services are also available in Spanish.
Our “Dementia Support Corner” series is an opportunity for our Supportive Services team to provide insight that can help people impacted by dementia.
By Heidi Emmenegger
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