Activities For Seniors With Dementia That Kids Can Also Enjoy

November 1, 2022 0 Comment Category: Senior Health

The love and bonding between a grandparent and a grandchild cannot be substituted with anything.
But, dementia disorders can harm the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren. To
avoid this, you can find kids and dementia-friendly activities to ensure that your senior parent and your
children have great relationships. Moreover, activities for elderly adults with dementia can also help
seniors enjoy a happy and more fulfilling life.
It can also be helpful to let kids understand more about dementia and its care so that they will feel less
intimidated by the changes in their senior loved one. When your child has a good understanding of
dementia disorders, here are some great activities to try.

Spend Time In Nature

Dementia care experts suggest that spending time in nature can help ease anxiety in people suffering
from dementia disorders. Energetic kids also love to spend time outside. So you can help your senior
parent and kids enjoy time together outdoors. Some of the activities to try include:
 Gardening and planting seeds together
 Birdwatching and drawing pictures or taking photos
 Chasing butterflies
 Hiking in a national park or spending time picnicking

Build Something Together

Kids love building block towers and find happiness in knocking them over. While visiting your senior
loved one, you can take some blocks with you and watch your loved one build towers with your kids.
Older children may also love the chance to do crafts and arts with a grandparent. Of course, you will
need to adapt the project to the skill level of both participants. Some easy ideas to get started are:
 Painting self-portraits
 Making a family scrapbook
 Drawing outside with sidewalk chalk
 Building a birdhouse

Read Out Loud

Reading can help children learn letters and words. It can also help people suffering from dementia
improve their quality of life. If your senior loved one can still read, encourage them to read to their
grandchildren. Senior living experts say that elderly adults who are frustrated by the limitations of
dementia can feel that they are doing something valuable when they read out to their grandchildren.

Enjoy A Movie

Quality time together does not have to mean endless projects and scheduled activities. Grandchildren
love relaxing with their grandparents. Both children and people suffering from dementia disorders love
the familiar. Therefore, choose a familiar movie and plan a movie night. You can pick a movie from the
youth of your senior loved one and one new movie that children can watch with their grandparents.

Spend Time With Pets

Animals can help decrease the stress of dementia and they are also great for children. Pets can teach
children empathy, encourage gentleness and may even help avoid allergies. There are numerous options
for spending time with animals and some of them are:
 Spending time playing with a family pet
 Visiting an animal shelter
 Visiting a wildlife refuge to watch animals play

Dancing And Singing

Children love singing and dancing and so do people suffering from dementia disorders. Having a dance
party can help encourage your children and senior parents to get moving. Older children will enjoy the
chance to teach their grandparents different dance moves. Elderly adults may also enjoy teaching their
grandchildren the dance moves of their youth.

Play Games Together

It can be difficult for kids to follow the rules of complex games. Therefore, you can choose a favorite
game of your children and senior parent and allow the two to make up their own rules. You may also
choose a simple and easy game from the youth of your senior loved one. Some of the options are Four
square, Uno, Hopscotch and Candyland.