Household Chores

• Rinsing and drying dishes or loading a dishwasher
• Folding laundry
• Matching socks
• Dusting
• Vacuuming
• Watering plants
• Arranging flowers
• Washing vegetables, kneading bread, making salad, stirring pots
• Decorating cookies, cupcakes, cakes
• Simple mending, such as replacing buttons.
• Polishing silver, polishing shoes
• Washing windows (but not on a stepstool or ladder)
• Setting the table. Try providing items one at a time: first all the plates, then all the forks, then the knives, etc.
• Organizing books (by size, alphabetically, by color)

Recreational Activities

• Playing card games, especially old favorites or simple games like War. Consider large-print cards.
• Playing board games, such as checkers or Chinese checkers
• Working word-search puzzles. Look for large-print versions of books.
• Flipping through scrapbooks or photo albums.
• Identifying people in old photos. (Write down what you learn!)
• Reading books and magazines; look for those heavy on images (coffee-table books and magazines on design, travel, photography).
• Attend an enrichment program for people with dementia at a local museum or library, if these programs exist in your area.
• Working jigsaw puzzles. You may need to experiment to find some that challenge without frustrating. On the bright side, you’ll be able to use a successful one repeatedly. Consider puzzles designed for dementia patients.
• Spending time with animals. Visit a neighbor’s dog or arrange to have a child bring one over every day. Visit a pet store. Provide a fish tank or goldfish bowl.
• Going out for ice cream cones. Not having to sit down, as you would at a restaurant, may be less stressful.
• Listening to old radio shows (check your local library or alzstore.com).
• Playing dance music and dancing.

Outdoor Activities

• Tending a garden: weeding, hoeing, watering, monitoring. (Indoor variations, such as an herb garden, orchids, or a terrarium, also provide sensory stimulation)
• Raking leaves or sweeping a porch
• Picking up sticks
• Watering the lawn
• Planting bulbs
• Taking a walk (with a companion)
• Feeding birds, ducks, fish (or watching a bird feeder placed outside a window)

Handiwork

• Stacking kindling
• Organizing a toolbox or workbench
• Sanding wood
• Washing or polishing a car
• Tightening screws
• Painting (such as a fence)
• Digging holes
• Working a lockbox (a wooden box featuring a variety of locks)

Artistic Activities

• Experimenting with different materials, such as watercolors, clay, pastels, washable markers
• Drawing or coloring. Search amazon.com with the phrase coloring books — there are many with patterns or adult-friendly themes.
• Creating a family history scrapbook
• Singing along to holiday carols or songs from a favorite era
• Listening to audio books
• Listening to a music box at one’s bedside
• Creating collages. Use leaves, magazine images, tissue paper, buttons, but beware of small choking hazards for people with advanced dementia
• Stamping to make gift tags, cards, or just for fun — find supplies at any craft store

1. https://www.caring.com/caregivers/alzheimers/#care-options-for-seniors-with-alzheimer's-disease

If you’re supporting a loved one who’s living with Alzheimer’s disease, you already know how challenging being a family caregiver can be. However, you might not know what to expect in the upcoming weeks, months, and years, particularly if you plan on keeping your family member at home for as long as you possibly can. Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s is a progressive degenerative disease with no known cure, and that makes being a dementia caregiver especially difficult.

While caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s can feel isolating, it’s important to know that you’re not alone. An estimated 6 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s, and one in nine seniors aged 65 and older have the disease.

In this guide, you’ll learn about the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and what you and your family can expect in the coming months and years. It also provides practical tips on how to manage day-to-day life as an Alzheimer’s caregiver and information on where you can find help from memory care professionals.

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