Summer Welcome Sign: Activities for Dementia Patients

Crafts for dementia patients are more than just an exercise to keep them busy. These creative activities stimulate the brain, stir memories, and can provide an opportunity for connection. Painting, crafts, and listening to music can help calm individuals and provide new ways to express themselves. When dealing with dementia, crafts can be used as a way to redirect a loved one who is agitated and can also be a way for family members to find a new way to engage with their loved one with dementia.

This colorful welcome sign is a fun craft to make using supplies readily available throughout the season. Not only is the craft itself engaging for an individual with dementia, it makes use of a variety of different textures to provide tactile stimulation.

Remember that crafts for individuals with dementia are designed to be an easy and engaging activity to do together. Don’t worry about the end result.

Summer Welcome Sign

What You’ll Need:

• Seven flip-flops of various colors
• Clear glue
• A ruler or thin, flat strip of wood
• Foam letters to spell welcome
• Additional decorations like flowers or butterflies
• Ribbon for hanging

Steps:

1. Glue the back of the flip-flops to the ruler or wood. They can be staggered or arranged in a straight line.
2. Glue each letter to the heel of each flip-flop to spell “Welcome.”
3. Tie additional decorations to the strap of the flip-flops or attach with glue.
4. Let dry.
5. Add a ribbon for hanging.

See more activities for dementia patients.

Caregiver Tips

1. If necessary, you can use an additional piece of wood at the back of the flip-flops to give extra stability to the welcome sign.
2. While doing activities with a loved one with dementia, engage them in conversation. Play music your loved one enjoys softly in the background to create a positive mood.
3. Activities for people with dementia have the best chance of success in the morning between breakfast and lunch when your loved one is well rested. If they don’t want to participate or get frustrated, don’t force it. Try again another time.

Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care is also open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to support patients with dementia and their families. Please call us at 1-888-564-3405 to learn more about how our unique care programs help provide a higher quality of life for dementia patients while helping caregivers avoid burnout.

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