Dementia is a condition that can cause cognitive decline, affecting your thinking, remembering, and reasoning. These symptoms can vary and can cause mild to severe impairment in everyday life. Dementia can make it challenging for a person to regulate their emotions and may even lead to personality changes. It is not uncommon for those struggling with dementia to display more anger than they did before. Keep reading to learn 10 activities for dementia patients.
While dementia affects millions of individuals, it is not a normal component of the aging process. Dementia is believed to affect one-third of older adults over the age of 85. Individuals who are struggling with dementia can exhibit a range of symptoms, including but not limited to loss of memory, difficulty speaking, getting lost in familiar places, financial difficulties, impulsivity, paranoia, and difficulty managing their everyday tasks. Some individuals are able to remain at home with their symptoms, while others need the supervision and support of an assisted living facility.
Rather than thinking of dementia as a specific health condition, try viewing it as an encompassing term. There are multiple types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and mixed dementia, which includes symptoms of one or more of the previously noted types. Symptoms and overall level of functioning can vary with each depending on the severity of symptoms.
Early diagnosis and intervention can have a significant role in supporting those who are developing dementia. Reaching a diagnosis can include the use of cognitive tests, neurological tests, brain scans, a psychiatric evaluation, genetic testing, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests, and various blood tests. This can help professionals determine which support services would be appropriate.
How Dementia Activities Can Help Your Clients
There is a range of therapeutic activities that you can incorporate into therapy sessions or encourage clients to utilize outside of sessions. The goal of activities for dementia is to improve cognitive functioning, to promote relaxation and emotion regulation, and help them in the aging process. The activities that you recommend will be individualized for each client, regarding their physical and psychological capabilities.
Depending on your clinical setting and your client’s symptoms, you may choose to incorporate the use of fluid activities or more structured interventions. TherapyByPro is a valuable professional resource for clinicians that provides access to customizable worksheets for a range of behavioral health concerns, including dementia. Examples of worksheets that may be impactful for clients who are experiencing dementia symptoms include:
- Dementia Worksheet Bundle
- Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease Worksheet
- Dementia Symptom Tracker Worksheet – Problems with Words in Speaking or Writing
- Cognitive Exercise – Shape Identification for Dementia Worksheet
Activities For Dementia Patients
As you continue reading our list of activities for dementia patients, we encourage you to remember that these activities can be modified to address the specific needs and challenges your client is experiencing. As an example, activities for dementia patients in assisted living settings will vary from those who are showing early signs of dementia.
- Clients who are showing early signs of dementia often benefit from reminiscence. Reminiscing is commonly used to encourage clients to think about their past. This can include the use of photos, music, and other memorabilia. Some enjoy scrapbooking, talking about holiday traditions, or baking favorite meals. TherapyByPro offers a Reminiscence for Dementia Worksheet, which can be used as a guide for these cognitive exercises.
- Music therapy can be an enjoyable and gentle activity for dementia patients. Therapists can help clients listen to their favorite music genres, artists, and songs. You can ask questions about what comes to mind when they listen to their music including memories or loved ones. Music therapy can also include music making with activities like drumming or singing. The benefit of music therapy with clients living with dementia is that music taps into the areas of the brain that can help improve emotion regulation and evoke memories.
- TherapyByPro’s Face and Name Matching Worksheet is a cognitive exercise worksheet that can easily be used in various therapy settings. With this activity, you can use flashcards with photos or names of familiar individuals. This activity promotes memory recall and can help those who are beginning to see a decline in social settings. This activity can be most impactful for those who are experiencing mild to moderate symptoms, compared to severe symptoms. Those with severe symptoms may find this activity challenging and overwhelming if they struggle.
- Art therapy is another activity that can be used with adults who are showing signs of dementia. This can include the use of drawing, painting, sculpting, or other art activities. This allows for flexibility regarding your client’s physical capabilities, as some may have limitations that affect their ability to use certain media. Art therapy is a great option for dementia patients because it can provide an outlet for expression, promote creativity, and provide sensory stimulation that they may not receive elsewhere. Many find art therapy to be relaxing, which can promote emotion regulation.
- Puzzle activities are also a popular activity for those living with dementia. This can include jigsaw puzzles, matching games, sorting games, and even word searches. These activities encourage clients to focus on the task at hand and use problem-solving skills. In some cases, puzzles can also promote socialization when they are completed in a group of two or three individuals.
- Making a sensory box is an engaging activity that can be used. This activity can incorporate the use of fabrics, sand, dry foods like rice, and herbs. Sensory boxes are a tactile activity that can promote emotion regulation for anxiety and restlessness. The benefit associated with memory boxes is that they can be used during times of emotional distress, often requiring little to no guidance from others. This can promote independence and problem-solving skills.
- Physical movement is also commonly encouraged for those demonstrating signs of dementia. This can include walking, stretching, chair yoga, dancing, and more. It is important to ensure that this is done safely and that those who find themselves lost are accompanied by another individual to ensure safety. There are several benefits to encouraging movement, including improving balance and releasing endorphins, which can help with mood regulation.
- Pet therapy is a common activity for dementia patients in assisted living and traditional therapy settings. Pet therapy typically includes gentle interactions with trained therapy animals. Animals can provide a sense of comfort, promote emotional regulation, and provide companionship. It is important to note that pet therapy requires special training for the animal and the therapist to ensure that it is done safely and effectively.
- Individuals who are experiencing significant impairment from their dementia symptoms can benefit from cognitive activities that focus on life skills like hygiene. Those who struggle with remembering tasks may find themselves forgetting to wash their hands or the steps to take to complete this task. You may also find benefit in reviewing skills like choosing appropriate clothing or brushing teeth.
- Bingo can be a fun, interactive, and social activity for those experiencing dementia. Bingo encourages socialization, visual recognition, and engagement with others. This game can be customized to include foods, familiar people, or activities for those who struggle with number recognition. You may choose to play bingo in a group setting or a private setting with a handful of people.
Frequently Asked Clinical Questions
Below are FAQs clinicians are asking:
How does a clinician differentiate between standard age-related cognitive slowing and early signs of a specific dementia type?
Evaluate whether their memory lapses represent minor informational retrieval delays or indicate a progressive decline in reasoning, orientation, and day-to-day functional capabilities. Standard age-related slowing leaves baseline autonomy intact, whereas early signs of dementia present with getting lost in familiar locations, profound word-finding difficulties in speaking or writing, personality changes, or severe difficulties managing simple financial tasks independently.
What is the recommended clinical protocol if a structured cognitive exercise triggers immediate confusion or an aggressive behavioral outburst?
Cease the testing task immediately and pivot the session toward gentle, nonverbal sensory or music-based co-regulation. Avoid confronting or correcting the individual when they struggle with tasks like face and name matching; instead, utilize a sensory box or play their favorite music genres to safely reduce anxiety and restore an emotional baseline without escalating threat pathways.
How should a practitioner handle an assisted living resident with advanced dementia who repeatedly refuses to participate in structured puzzle activities?
Modify the intervention from complex, goal-oriented problem-solving to fluid, low-barrier sensory stimulation like art therapy or tactile fabric sorting. Forcing compliance with rigid rules like shape identification can overwhelm their executive capacities and trigger deep frustration or anger, requiring you to utilize creative mediums or gentle pet therapy to promote a sense of personal control.
When is it clinically appropriate to transition a client from active physical movement routines to focused life skills retraining?
Incorporate basic life skills training—such as step-by-step guidance for independent hygiene, brushing teeth, or choosing appropriate clothing—when symptom tracking shows a decline in their capacity to execute activities of daily living safely. While physical movement helps regulate mood and maintain physical balance, systematic functional decline requires concrete behavioral tracking to support their safety within the home or facility layout.
Can an outpatient mental health professional safely treat an older adult presenting with vascular or Lewy body dementia and severe, unmanaged paranoia?
No, an independent outpatient frame must be paired with careful care coordination and a formal neurological or psychiatric evaluation. Managing advanced executive decline, auditory or visual hallucinations, and acute paranoia requires an integrated multidisciplinary team to implement brain scans, genetic testing, or close medication management to ensure absolute safety for both the individual and their primary caregivers.
Final Thoughts On Choosing The Right Activities For Your Dementia Patients
Thank you for taking the time to read our list of activities for dementia. This short list of cognitive exercises and memory loss support activities for dementia can provide you with a brief understanding of activities and interventions that you can incorporate into your therapy sessions.
Activities for dementia patients can enhance the positive effects of medications, support cognitive therapies, reduce behavioral symptoms, and promote overall physical and psychological well-being. Many of these activities can be done in social or group settings, which can help decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation that arise with these conditions.
An added benefit to some of the activities that we mentioned is that you can introduce them to your clients’ caregivers. Having a structured or planned intervention can decrease caregiver stress and help them develop a predictable routine. Some of these activities can lead to bonding and a sense of connection between caregivers that can reinforce their efforts.
If you would like to learn more about activities for dementia patients or about these mental health conditions as a whole, we encourage you to look for continuing education or training opportunities within your field of work. Those who routinely work with older adults should have a basic understanding of common dementia symptoms and the impact they can have on everyday life.
TherapyByPro is a trusted resource for mental health professionals worldwide. Our therapy tools are designed with one mission in mind: to save you time and help you focus on what truly matters-your clients. Every worksheet, counseling script, and therapy poster in our shop is professionally crafted to simplify your workflow, enhance your sessions, reduce stress, and most of all, help your clients.
Want to reach more clients? We can help! TherapyByPro is also a therapist directory designed to help you reach new clients, highlight your expertise, and make a meaningful impact in the lives of others.
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Resources:
- Therapeutic activities for 3 main stages of alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. (2024, March 14). https://alzfdn.org/therapeutic-activities-for-3-main-stages-of-alzheimers-disease/
- What is dementia? symptoms, types, and diagnosis | National Institute on Aging. National Institute on Aging (NIA). (n.d.). https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia/what-dementia-symptoms-types-and-diagnosis