Activities and Engagement

All people benefit from engagement in meaningful activities, it offers us the opportunity to be challenged, stimulated and achievement, all of which benefits and promotes our overall well-being. This is no different for people with dementia however, it may become challenging to organise and engage in an activity that was once enjoyed. Meaningful activities are only meaningful once they incorporate the person’s likes and interests; therefore it is essential to know the history and biography of the person. The following section outlines the benefits of meaningful engagement in activity and some consideration to be taken when facilitating activities.

Consideration for Meaningful Engagement

Activities must be person-centred for them to have meaning to the person engaging. Therefore activities should be chosen together and reflect the person’s interests and likes. Use an Interest Checklist which gives a range of interests to help you select together, you can download this below un Interest Checklist
Adapting Activities – people with dementia may find activities they enjoy challenging, this should not mean they can no longer participate. Activities should be adapted to the level suitable; not too difficult that the person is frustrated and cannot participate, nor too easy that it does not challenge the person to engage. It is important to remember that people with dementia experience engagement differently and some may no longer be able to sequence the steps involved in a task or they may be unable to follow instruction.
Endurance - the person with dementia may be unable to engage in an activity for as long as they once could. This should not mean they can no longer participate. Once the activity is appropriately set up and is meaningful then participation for as little as 10 minutes may be enough to provide feelings of well-being and enjoyment that may last beyond the engagement. Consider short blocks throughout the day, you can use a day planner to support, you can download an example of one of these below under Day Planner
Safety - activities may have elements that are unsafe such as chopping vegetables in a cooking activity. A person with dementia may have less safety awareness and therefore it is important that the activity is set up considering this.
Preparing an Activity – Some people will require minimal support in engaging in an activity such as setting the space up and having everything needed to hand. Others will require further support in engaging, being prepared is important also consider the following

Comfort - is the person comfortable, is the person sitting at the right height, and can they easily access items.
Environment - is the environment supportive e.g. good lighting, are there distracting sounds, and is the temperature right.
Essential requirements – not only do you need to have all the items required for the activity you should also make sure the person has what they need to engage optimally e.g. do they have their glasses

Benefits of Meaningful Engagment

At Home Activities Booklet

Weekly Planner

This Weekly Activity Planner contains suggestions for a balanced plan of physical, cognitive and relaxing activities, to assist with creating new routines. Behind each suggestion is a link to a website with useful information on the specific activity, which you can access by clicking on the underlined word. Please view the weekly activity planner here

The At Home Activities Booklet was compiled by Emma O' Brien, occupational therapist at the Memory Technology Library. It is available for down here

There are many activities already available to us in our own homes, the household Activities section below gives ideas of adapting everyday familiar activities. The other sections have been divided into types of activities, click on the tab to bring you to a selection of ideas for engagement.