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Activities to Share with a loved one who has Dementia

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Activities to Share

price-is-rightActivities to share and enjoy with a loved one who lives with Alzheimer’s Dementia 

Recently, I learned that Amazon had complete sets of older televisions series from the 50’s and 60’s. I smiled and thought of Mom.

She would love those shows because she loved to laugh! I have so many happy memories of watching comedy on TV with Mom.

Mom’s all-time favorite was Bob Barker and the “Price is Right.” She would laugh so hard watching Bob Barker that her eyes would tear-up.

The more excited the contestant became, the more excited Mom became.

Shortly after breakfast every morning, Mom would ask, “Is it 10:00 0’clock yet?” And she would ask every 15 minutes until it was 10:00 o’clock.  Mom was in late stage Alzheimer’s.

She had long forgotten how to read the hands on a clock, or how to change the channels on a television or even how to turn it on–but she knew Bob Barker came on at 10:00 o’clock.

The good thing about cable television and modern electronics is the DVR. If you have Direct TV, it’s  TIVO, or a recordable DVD Player. Mom could watch Bob Barker whenever she wanted.

With several of his shows taped on the DVR, it became 10:00 o’clock any time Mom wanted. If Mom was having a day full of agitation and upset, watching a comedy or musical show had a calming affect.

Mom was by no means addicted to television. She enjoyed a nice walk when the weather permitted. She loved her crayons and a “special” coloring book. She had a large bead box with 1″ beads and lots of yarn to make “pretend” necklaces for everyone in the family.

So television wasn’t the center of her activities. But it did play a part in her daily schedule and overall recreation time. And television brought some sweet rewards for the two of us together.

Usually, I did the early morning chores while Mom watched “Bob.” If I had the time, I’d sit beside her and share a laugh or two. Those moments hold such special memories now. Long after Mom had forgotten what the word “daughter” meant, we still shared a special bond in those moments when we watched TV.

Mom would hold my hand and squeeze-tight in suspense, while the contestant tried for the big prize.  For that moment, I was the kid again and she was the Mom.

A new friend wrote the other day that some of his happier memories are the hours he spends with his own father, who has Alzheimer’s, watching Johnny Carson’s DVD’s. What a great thing we have in these DVD’s and DVR’s and TIVO.

By middle stage Alzheimer’s or Dementia, they are no longer able to follow the story-line of most dramatic television. They get the gest of the story but as soon as it breaks for a commercial, memory is lost of the previous segment. You don’t have the same issue with a comedy or musical. Both bring pleasure to all ages and especially those afflicted with Dementia or Alzheimer’s! (Mom loved Lawrence Welk too.)

Below I’ve listed a few others that your loved one might enjoy from their “good ole days!” I wish I had known about Lucy while Mom was still with us. Surely she would have “Loved Lucy!”

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I Love Lucy – Seasons 1-4More info12 Classic Television Comedies: 1950’s-60’sMore infoThe Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection – His Favorite Moments From The Tonight Show (Vols. 1-3) (1962-1992)More infoOn the Road With Bob Hope and Bing Crosby Collection (Road to Singapore/Road to Zanzibar/Road to Morocco/Road to Utopia)More infoThe Best of Art Linkletter’s Kids Say the Darndest Things, vol 1.More infoOld Age is Not for SissiesMore infoPeople Are Funny (16 Episodes on 3 Discs)More info

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Can Person with dementia Read or Watch Television?

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Can Person with Alzheimer’s dementia Read or Watch Television

Someone asked me about this recently and I think it’s a topic that I haven’t discussed very much. It is curious  and I’m often asked if the person with the person with dementia can read.

Actually, most folks with Alzheimer’s and Dementia can read and watch television as much as they ever did in the past. What’s different about their entertainment habits as their Alzheimer’s progresses is their ability to comprehend and understand what they are reading or watching.

Into Middle Stage those with Alzheimer’s have a shortened attention span, so a memory may only be held for a few moments. When someone with dementia reads or watches television it can become a confusing experience. They might read a paragraph, then look away for a minute and forget what they just read.

There is no more learning, or holding onto memories since memories disappear shortly after occurring. If a person with Alzheimer’s or Dementia watches a movie, during the first commercial-break they would forget all they had already seen previously. So the film would seem disjointed, making little sense to them even though the person with dementia read the entire book or watched the entire film.

My Mom was an avid reader and read well into Middle Stage Alzheimer’s. I actually noticed her reading when I was certain she could not remember what she was reading. Part of it, I believe, was the actual habit of reading. When I suspected she could no longer remember an entire page, I watched her one afternoon. She sat with her book open on her lap for several hours, but never turned the page. Still, she may well have been reading–she was simply reading the same text over and over. I’m just not certain, but she was content to sit there with the book on her knees and read. She did that often.

Mom loved Crossword Puzzles and Word Find puzzles also. By the time she entered the nursing home (late middle stage Alzheimer’s) she could no longer do Crossword Puzzles but she still did Word Find Puzzle Books for many months after entering the nursing home.

My Mom was never too keen on television. But for as long as I can remember, if Bob Barker and “The Price Is Right” was on during the day, she watched it. It had been her Favorite show for many years, and Bob Barker and “The Truth or Consequences” was her Favorite before that. When she came to live with us (Early Middle Stage) she couldn’t follow a movie or series television. During the time it took to show the commercial advertising, Mom would forget the plot of the show. So she took no interest in that sort of television.  There are many Television shows that they can watch and enjoy though.

  • Music and Comedy Shows without a plot line
  • Music Videos (Mom was a fan of the Nashville Network)
  • News Shows for a limited time (When they hear the same news story more than once, it becomes confusing)

A few other Activities they might enjoy:

  • Coloring Books
  • Stringing Beads
  • Rolling Yarn
  • Folding clothes, especially towels
  • Word Find books
  • Mom use to keep a folder with old bank statements/She felt in-control of her finances and carried them in her purse
  • If you have pictures that need to be sorted/Envelopes or mail that needs t
    o be sorted
  • They love activities that keep their hands busy

I hope this helps you to understand how the person with dementia reads a book or watches a movie or television show. If you have any thoughts you’d like to ad or questions to ask—Feel free to comment.

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