Alzheimer`s Activities Expert

Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day. It is a great opportunity to have fun and a few laughs with persons who have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

It is a day for telling jokes and pulling some harmless pranks on the staff and family members. The key word is harmless because you do not want to cause harm or scare or hurt anyone.

Some good pranks might include:
Using a whoopee cushion
Coloring your front teeth black
Wearing an item of clothing backwards
Wearing your socks over your shoes
and many more

What is your favorite harmless prank?

I will let you know what my staff cooked up in a couple of days.

Thanks for stopping by

Here is an enjoyable activity that you can do with those who have Alzheimer’s disease , a related dementia, or are in a long term facility.

Have your own Red Hat Society chapter.

We started ours several years ago and it has been a huge success.

The purpose of the Red Hat Society is to have ladies 55 and older meet. The sole goal is to have fun.

If folks are able, the group usually meets at a restuarant. However this is difficult for most residents in long term care. Thus we meet right at our facility.

It is recommended that each chapter have no more than 20 members. This is the amount of people you usually have at a moderately sized group.

You can make it a more populated event if you have……….

I have only just begun to discuss this

Please leave your questions in the comment box and make sure to visit my sister site.

The next step in making leis is to place the paper strips lenghtwise through the needle in an accordian like fashion. A less able resident can help push the paper down to the knot, Keep adding strips of paper in the same way until the yarn is almost all covered. Knot the yarn at the needle end. Cut the yarn between the knot just made and the needle. Tie the two ends of the almost completed lei together

It should now be ready to use. My suggestion is to make some leis and buy the rest. As I said before, I like to give each resident a lei. Thus if you do that, you will need quite a few

Come back tomorrow for  more


Watch this movie before and after making the leis

There is something for folks with almost every level of dementia, to do.

Tearing strips of paper is a good part of the lei making process for lower functioning group members. If group members have trouble making the strips then you or a higher functioning resident can tear the strips as the less able resident holds the paper.

Use yarn as the holder for the paper strips. Use a plastic craft needle. Thread the yarn into the needle. A double strand of yarn is best. The double stranded yarn should be at least 30 inches long Make sure to make a knot at the end of the yarn.

Next start putting the paper through the needle in an…..

Come back tomorrow to find out this and more


Watch this movie before and after making the leis

I bet this title got your attention. Well May 1 is May Day but in Hawaii it is Lei Day.

Lei Day has an easy to do craft for those with dementia. The craft is making leis.

There is something for someone with almost every level of dementia, to do.

First you need to have strips of approximately 1×10 inches of paper. However the demensions are far from exact. I like to use tissue paper, but any thin paper or material will do.

Therefore, you can have one group making long strips of paper. This is a good activity for a lower functioning group. If group members have trouble making the strips then…..

Come back tomorrow to find out this and more


Watch this movie before and after making the leis

We were discussing  limericks yesterday. I said that this is a great mind stimulating, fun activity for those with dementia.

Here is one:
A very smart dog I once knew
Liked to ride on a bike to the zoo
And from what I could tell
He rode it quite well
Though his hand signals truly were few.

You can use this limerick. Just eliminate the last word to each line except the last word of the first line. Explain the rhyming pattern. then make two lists of rhymong words.

One for lines 1,2, and 5.|
The other for lines 3 and 4.

Then fill in the blanks with various comvinations of rhyming word until the majority of the group like the sound of the limerick.

For more limericks go to Activities Directors

Come back tomrrow for another superior activity

Also see what is up at my sister site


Here is an inexpensive book that has games that can be adapted and modified for use with those who may have Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias or with other long term care residents. Included in the book is an easy to use limerick writer

I said that we would be discussing something new. I hinted that it might be limericks.

What are limericks and how can people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias write them?

A limerick is meant to be funny. Therefore they are sure to bring a smile to the faces of the folks with or without dementia in your audience.

Limeriks are five-line poems  where lines 1,2 and 5 rhyme, and lines 3 and 4  rhyme. It is said that the limerick was invented by soldiers returning from France to the Irish town of Limerick in the 1700’s.

In order to make  this a successful activity, you may have to have most of the limerick written except for the last word in the sentence.

You can think of rhyming words with the group members after you read the unfinished limerick to them.

Why do this activity?  You ask

It is a fun way to stimulate the mind and have a good laugh

Come back tomrrow for a senerio of this

Also see what is up at my sister site


Here is an inexpensive book that has games that can be adapted and modified for use with those who may have Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias or with other long term care residents. Included in the book is an easy to use limerick writer

We were discussing smile activities in my last post. Specifically we were talking about writing a poem about smiles using information discussed with person(s) who have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Here is the poem some folks with dementia and I wrote. I was the facilitator directing the activity.

I, of course, had to modify and adapt the words as we went along.

Here is what we came up with
I would walk a mile for your smile
because it is so big and bright
I would walk a mile for your smile because it makes me happy
especially at night
I would walk a mile for your smile because it makes me feel good to know that you are doing fine
That is why I would walk a mile for your smile my darling because I know you are mine
 
Come back tomorrow for something new. What will it be? It could be writing another type of poem.
And, of course, visit my sister site


Remember the above books are sure to bring a smile and perhaps a groan to anyone who wants a good laugh. They are a great deal too. It is always good to have one on hand for a big smile or for a good laugh anytime.

We were discussing smile activities in my last post. Specifically we were talking about writing a poem about smiles using information discussed with person(s) who have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Here are some smile characteristics
big
grin
teeth
Of course there are more

Words that rhyme with smile. It is helpful to go through the alphabet as you are asking about this.
bile
dial
file
Lyle
mile
Nile
pile
style
tile
trial
vial
while
I am sure there are more

Reasons why people smile
They are happy
Something is funny
They see a cute baby photo
Someone gives them a hug or kiss
Someone smiles at them
Obviously there are more

Use this information in the writing of a poem

 Come back tomorrow to see the poem we wrote
Just come back tomorrow anyway
And, of course, visit my sister site


Remember the above books are sure to bring a smile and perhaps a groan to anyone who wants a good laugh. They are a great deal too. It is always good to have one on hand for a big smile or for a good laugh anytime.

We were discussing smile activities in my last post. There are many more.

Here is another one.
Make up a smile poem
How do you do that? You ask
Here is how. Have a discussion about the characteristics of a smile and reasons why people smile.
Then ask the participants to give you the information that you just discussed back, or they can give you new information. You can do this in a fill in the blank fashion, if necessary. Write down what you might think would be part of a good poem.

Along with this see how many words they can name that rhyme with smile. Also have them name words or people’s names that begin with  the letter S. Do you see where I am going with this?
NO—-Then come back tomorrow
Just come back tomorrow anyway
And, of course, visit my sister site


Remember the above books are sure to bring a smile and perhaps a groan to anyone who wants a good laugh. They are a great deal too. It is always good to have one on hand for a big smile or for a good laugh anytime.