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Our activities in life, what we do, define who we are, how we see ourselves, and the quality of our lives. When an individual has Alzheimer’s disease, their abilities are affected by the changes in their brain. In turn, it can become challenging for the individual to participate in activities that they enjoyed in the past.  Caregivers, whether they are professionals, families, or friends can adapt activities so that the person(s) they are caring for can continue to do things that will give their life meaning.

There are always areas of strength that remain for people with dementia regardless of how far the disease has progressed. These include things like long term memory, a sense of humour, use of the senses, music appreciation, social skills, and emotional awareness and memory.  Meaningful activities should be planned with these strengths in mind.

It is important to remember that the mundane things we do in life, the activities of daily living, also define who we are.  These are the things that we all have to do like bathing, making meals, taking out the garbage, and going to work. These activities also become more difficult as the disease progresses, but they are important because these are the activities that determine independence.

There are certain features which are common to all successful activities for persons with Alzheimer’s:

• An activity must be appropriate to an individual’s level of retained ability
• It should be challenging but not frustrating
• Activities should be simple and purposeful but not childlike
• They should be “no fail” activities and most importantly the person with Alzheimer’s should enjoy the activity.
• Activities do not have to be elaborate.  A walk in the park, watching an old movie, washing windows or sorting laundry are all pursuits that can be enjoyed.
• Activities that are truly fulfilling are those where the individual is invited into the process, where the “getting there” is more important than the end product. In other words, the fun and engagement in making the cake or raking the yard is more important than how the cake tastes or whether every leaf is captured.

101 Meaningful Activities

This is a sample list of activities that can work:

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