Visiting Toolkit

Sometimes people can feel apprehensive about – or even dread – visiting their grandparent experiencing dementia. This does not mean that you don’t love your grandparent. You can love them immensely and still feel scared, intimidated, and reluctant to see them in a vulnerable state. This toolkit is designed to give you some ideas for ways to spend time with someone who has dementia.

  • Puzzles

    For a person with dementia, solving puzzles like jigsaws or crosswords can be mentally stimulating. Simple puzzles can make dementia patients feel more accomplished, more confident in themselves, and more connected to the person they are doing the challenge with.

  • Checkers

    Checkers might help a dementia patient stay intellectually active. According to a 2020 research study, playing board games can help dementia sufferers by maintaining brain activity, fostering social engagement and problem-solving skills, and enhancing hand-eye coordination.

  • Animals

    Someone with dementia can benefit by petting, snuggling, or walking a pet. According to research in 2020, interacting with live animals and even robotic animals can improve mental health and reduce depression in persons with dementia.

  • Familiar Food

    Bringing food they are familiar with can help unlock memories that are linked to that specific food. Bringing a food they are familiar with to an unfamiliar place like a memory care facility, can help them to feel more connected and welcomed to a place that may feel scary and different.

  • Old photos

    A person with dementia might reclaim their sense of self with the use of visual aids like photos. Together, creating a scrapbook of old images might help in fostering a sense of comfort and familiarity. It also enables individuals to think back on the past.

  • Music

    A person with dementia might rekindle their connection to the past via music. According to the Alzheimer's Association, music can benefit a person with dementia by lowering agitation, addressing behavioral problems, promoting self-expression, and increasing involvement.

  • Stories

    Because it is hard for them to identify specific things that happened to them that day or what they did that week, hearing from you about what you did can help them to feel more connected and a bigger part in your life; almost as though they were there with you during the day.

  • Art

    A person with dementia may find that engaging in arts and crafts, such as painting or coloring, helps them express themselves. They may feel a feeling of success and purpose as a result

  • Manicure and brush hair

    Not only do they want to hear from you, but they also want to talk about the things that they enjoy. When talking about their interests it can brighten their day and put them in a much better mood.