When you become the caregiver for a loved on with any kind of mental decline, the challenge of watching over them brings personal stress. This is actually true for both you and them. There are some thoughtful ways to add activities which will improve interactive times together and set in place many future memories.
Finding new ways to help your loved one continue to interact with you is challenging. What works for one person may not do so well for another. Trial and error is the key to finding what works for today, but keeping in mind that tomorrow may be completely different is important. Beneficial activities for people with dementia are those that are chosen to help their specific needs.
Undeniably one of the best choices for therapy is to encourage music sessions. Studies conducted at the Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, have indicated that it may be possible to help stroke patients and others with various dementia to improve with listening to musical selections. Though not completely understood, it is known that certain brain areas are capable of routing signals around damaged parts to help improve function. Some people in therapies have been able to improve through slow singing, even though their speech has been impaired.
When stronger hands and eyes are the goal, ball tossing or rolling is excellent. Patients who are mobile enough to exercise outdoors benefit greatly from doing so. The scenery change is often enough to perk up depression. Softer, smaller balls are best, and are certainly available for bedridden patients as well. Just smoothing sheets, blankets and bedspreads can create a play area for them. It is a joy that remains from childhood, which can be accessed for happier times much later in life.
Coloring pictures is a great thing to try. Choosing crayon colors allows each person to have a sense of control. Being able to express themselves creatively in an activity that is not demanding can be very soothing, evoking pleasant memories in some.
There is a bonding that takes places when family members pursue taking photographs together. Perhaps the ill person enjoyed a photography hobby in an earlier time in life. But, regardless, the stimulation that is inherent in this activity makes it very popular. Most love to either take photos or have themselves be photographed. Recording family history together in those moments is cherished.
A gardener can think of nothing more wonderful than digging into the warm soil and planting things. Coordinating a gardening day is a great way for getting out into the sunshine and encouraging physical movement. Eventually, the seeds that are planted will grow, being watched along the way. If the patient is not able to go outside, then bring the materials indoors to him or her and create potted plants.
Anytime of the year, spending a day in the kitchen baking cookies together is a treat. Working to mix the dough and then forming it into various shapes is a wonderful exercise for the small muscles in arms and hands. Decorating the treats with colorful icing and sprinkles is fun. Waiting to eat the results probably never happens, it seems, but everyone truly enjoys these memorable moments.
Finding new ways to help your loved one continue to interact with you is challenging. What works for one person may not do so well for another. Trial and error is the key to finding what works for today, but keeping in mind that tomorrow may be completely different is important. Beneficial activities for people with dementia are those that are chosen to help their specific needs.
Undeniably one of the best choices for therapy is to encourage music sessions. Studies conducted at the Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, have indicated that it may be possible to help stroke patients and others with various dementia to improve with listening to musical selections. Though not completely understood, it is known that certain brain areas are capable of routing signals around damaged parts to help improve function. Some people in therapies have been able to improve through slow singing, even though their speech has been impaired.
When stronger hands and eyes are the goal, ball tossing or rolling is excellent. Patients who are mobile enough to exercise outdoors benefit greatly from doing so. The scenery change is often enough to perk up depression. Softer, smaller balls are best, and are certainly available for bedridden patients as well. Just smoothing sheets, blankets and bedspreads can create a play area for them. It is a joy that remains from childhood, which can be accessed for happier times much later in life.
Coloring pictures is a great thing to try. Choosing crayon colors allows each person to have a sense of control. Being able to express themselves creatively in an activity that is not demanding can be very soothing, evoking pleasant memories in some.
There is a bonding that takes places when family members pursue taking photographs together. Perhaps the ill person enjoyed a photography hobby in an earlier time in life. But, regardless, the stimulation that is inherent in this activity makes it very popular. Most love to either take photos or have themselves be photographed. Recording family history together in those moments is cherished.
A gardener can think of nothing more wonderful than digging into the warm soil and planting things. Coordinating a gardening day is a great way for getting out into the sunshine and encouraging physical movement. Eventually, the seeds that are planted will grow, being watched along the way. If the patient is not able to go outside, then bring the materials indoors to him or her and create potted plants.
Anytime of the year, spending a day in the kitchen baking cookies together is a treat. Working to mix the dough and then forming it into various shapes is a wonderful exercise for the small muscles in arms and hands. Decorating the treats with colorful icing and sprinkles is fun. Waiting to eat the results probably never happens, it seems, but everyone truly enjoys these memorable moments.
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