Is your elderly parent or loved one getting quieter and more withdrawn? Or do they start talking, get confused and ramble? As caregivers, we work with a lot of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, so we’ve developed some good tools to keep them mentally engaged. We also use conversational techniques and topics to help them to talk more comfortably and easily. Here are just a few ideas — and please share yours in the ‘comments’ section below.
- Family memories: get out a box of old family photos and ask questions about specific people and events. Ask about what was going on in the world at that time, like “Was that after the war was over?” or “Was Kennedy president then?” Specific historical questions will often prompt a lot of storytelling. Jot down some of the stories and names as they talk, so you can bring them up again next time you get out the photos.
- Old movies and tv shows: a lot of these are now available on dvd and there are of course 1000s of clips on Youtube. Ask about their memories of when these shows were on the air, what kind of tv they had (or their memories of their first television set), and what shows others in the family enjoyed. Who were their screen idols, and what movies did they never want to miss?
- Puzzles and games: depending on your senior’s level of dementia, these can be a great mental stimulation tool. Jigsaw puzzles, crosswords of various degrees of difficulty, word-search and other challenges are especially good when you are solving them together, encouraging interaction and asking questions. Board games are great too, especially ones that may be connected with warm family memories. A lot of old board games are being re-issued as vintage editions, so ask what games they loved growing up or what they played with their children, and seek those out.
- Gardens and nature: whenever you can, get your senior out for a walk (or a wheel) through a park, garden or nature trail. The combination of trees, birdsong, sunshine, fresh air and flowers can work miracles. And of course it provides so many openings for easy conversation. If they’re a gardener, ask questions about the names of flowers and trees. If they grew up in the area, ask about memories of this particular park or other parks they remember enjoying, or where they took their children to play when they were growing up.
Do you have an elderly loved one struggling with dementia or Alzheimer’s? What works for you in terms of keeping them engaged and getting a comfortable conversation going? We’d love to hear from you.
2 Responses to “Keep them thinking, get them talking: a few ways to help with dementia.”
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June 13th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
The article is very good. Write please more.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:25 am
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