Suggested Activities
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Meaningful Activities for Dementia Caregivers and Their Loved Ones
Far too often, I ran out of ideas on how to spend our time together. Here are some suggestions for you to consider. Appropriate activities depend upon your loved one’s capabilities and interests.
Visit a zoo
Walk around playgrounds or dog parks
Listen to music
Look at old pictures
Take naps
Ask friends to take your loved one out on meal or coffee dates
Play board games or cards
Dance
Visit family members
Watch YouTube videos
Go to movies
Work in your yard or garden
Go to restaurants during off hours when you have some privacy
Reminisce with photo albums
Go through scrapbooks
Walk together (good exercise, relieves stress, and triggers a desire for naps)
People watch and make up stories about the people you see
Jigsaw puzzles
Get ice cream or root beer floats
When looking for answers, ask ChatGPT or Siri
Walk on a college campus
Get Reader’s Digest joke books
Visit friends
Go to parks
Have zoom conversations with friends
Find another caregiver who will alternate caring for both loved ones one day a week
Have someone else join you on drives
Go to an art museum
Read out loud
Sort photographs
Listen to books on tape
Sing duets together
Touching and hugging rekindle warmth and connection
Go shopping or window shopping
Watch birds
Garage sale browsing
Draw pictures
Bake cookies
Check out activities at your local senior center
Play piano or other instruments
Watch kids at school during recess
Go to a high school concert or play
Read old letters
Help your loved one compose letters to old friends
Look through magazines together
Try coloring books
Tell stories about your times together in the past
Check for local activities that may be of interest
Go through closets to see what can be discarded or donated
Pamper your pets
Do chores together
Take a coffee break
Give a surprise neck or back massage
Be kind and radiate warmth
You don’t have to talk. If the person no longer has words, visit without words. Smile and touch.
Watch kids at a children’s museum
Clean out closets, cupboards, and drawers
Go to a Butterfly Pavilion
Play solitaire
Visit a flower shop
Ask your loved one’s friends to make supportive phone calls
Go to a library
Look for pictures in clouds
Donate unused clothing or other household items to a charity
On your computer, play your favorite songs from when you were younger
Read out loud
Ask a friend who has a baby, child or calm pet to visit
Toss a ball
Play favorite song and sing along
Draw a family tree
Make Christmas or birthday cards
Write a letter to friends or family members
Feed birds in a park