About Senior Health
Explore senior health articlesAbout Senior Care Options
Explore senior living articlesAbout Finances & Legal
Explore finances and legal articlesAbout Products for Seniors
Explore products for seniors
How to Help a Person With Dementia Continue to Enjoy Their Hobbies
Written by OurParents Staff
about the author
5 minute readLast updated April 10, 2023
Activities that were important prior to a parent’s dementia diagnosis can continue to be meaningful and provide enjoyment. Your loved one may need help adapting their favorite hobby to their changing abilities, but staying active and engaged can increase their life satisfaction. Learn more about how you can help a person with dementia continue to enjoy their hobbies after a diagnosis.
Let our care assessment guide you
Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
How hobbies improve quality of life
Studies have shown that enjoying a hobby reduces the risk of depression, improves physical health and increases socialization. Having Alzheimer’s does not mean that a person with dementia can no longer enjoy familiar and new activities. Ken Dychtwald, CEO of Age Wave, reported to the Wall Street Journal that seniors have up to more than seven hours of leisure time in a day but they have no idea how to fill the time. “Hobbies can help fill that time, reduce stress and slow down a decline in memory and thinking skills in a person with dementia,” he explains. The Alzheimer’s Association says that physical activities improve brain health by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain. The National Institute on Aging states that engaging in creative activities can also improve memory and problem-solving skills. The greatest reason to enjoy a hobby is that it is fun. Fun is what makes us happy, and participating in a hobby gives your loved one something to look forward to and a topic to talk about.
Let our care assessment guide you
Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
Tips to help a person with dementia remain engaged
When you encourage your parent or senior loved one to continue to enjoy their hobbies, your role is to assist and provide guidance as needed. Make sure that you provide the right activity, place and time for your loved one by using these tips:
- Keep the activity calm. Let your parent know there is no need to rush. You will want to remain calm and patient while encouraging them to do as much as possible on their own.
- Look for a time when your senior loved one is not anxious or restless. Find a setting that does not have too many distractions, too much noise or too many people. Set up a clutter-free work area and make sure there is good lighting.
- Understand that the time of day you choose will have an impact on the success of the project. Most people with dementia have increased agitation at the end of the day, referred to as sundowning. This would be a good time to encourage calming activities like listening to music but not involved activities like woodworking.
Talk with a Senior Care Advisor
Our advisors help 300,000 families each year find the right senior care for their loved ones.
Ways to adapt hobbies to match changing abilities
Changes in physical and mental abilities that come with dementia can make it hard to continue with activities and hobbies. Focusing on how to change the activity so that it is enjoyable can reduce agitation and anxiety. The first priority for enjoying a hobby is safety. Neither you, your parent or senior loved one is having fun if you are spending the day in the emergency room. Here are some tips on modifying common hobbies to make them more enjoyable and safer for you and a person with dementia. The biggest way you can help is by taking an interest in what is being created. Use the project to trigger a conversation or remember earlier times. Remember the process is more important than the result. Depending on the stage of your parent’s dementia, you can provide help with following recipes or simple step by step directions to complete the dish. You can use a personalized playlist to remember music from earlier years. You can also play an instrument for your loved one or use music in the background to soothe agitation during stressful times. You can help by reminiscing about their favorite things to grow and picking up seeds or transplants. Set up an automatic watering system or have someone work alongside your loved one in the garden on a regular basis. Cycling, hiking and walking are also excellent ways to stay healthy and enjoy nature. There are also simple activities like bird-watching at a feeder, enjoying an indoor garden or feeding fish in a tank, that can be fulfilling. A diagnosis of dementia means that your loved one will eventually have to live differently. But the key is to plan for how to live well with dementia. That includes continuing to enjoy hobbies, our family and friends.
Art and Handwork
Working on an art project with your parent gives a chance for self-expression. These projects can build purpose into days that are boring or long. Although you may need to help your senior loved one begin the art project you don’t want to make the project too simple. You can help by arranging brushes, mixing paints, threading a needle or offering suggestions on how to start and the next step to take.Cooking
Cooking is a great way to spend time together. Not only is it a great way to connect but according to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, preparing food helps your loved one with dementia to eat better. Safety in the kitchen is your biggest thing you will need to be aware of. You can check that burners are turned off and provide direction and supervision. You will also want to keep the kitchen setting simple. Only take out what you will be using to avoid confusion. You can use a placemat that has a sharp color contrast from the foods you are preparing and also to reduce slipping.Music
Music is incredibly easy and safe to participate in. Music has the ability to affect parts of the brain that are not damaged by dementia and can result in more meaningful interactions.Outdoors
If enjoying the outdoors was meaningful for your parent or senior loved one prior to the diagnosis of dementia, they can continue to enjoy nature. They may not be able to maintain a full backyard garden but can still find pleasure in harvesting, planting seeds and weeding from the garden.Recommended For You
The information contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom (of which OurParents is a trademark) and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
OurParents is a trademark of A Place for Mom. A Place for Mom is paid by our participating communities, therefore our service is offered at no charge to families. Copyright © 2023 A Place for Mom, Inc. All Rights Reserved.