Ice Cream Cone Planter: Activities for Dementia Patients

Crafting is often touted as a way to relax, but it can do more than that for those with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. Working on crafts can help keep minds engaged and provide a new way for families to connect through a shared experience.

Working on a craft like the ice cream cone planter below can give someone with dementia a sense of satisfaction as they see the finished project emerge. Crafts also helps them main motor skills and coordination.

In addition, crafts allow individuals with dementia to express themselves, and the end results can be turned into home décor or a gift that a loved one will treasure.

Ice Cream Cone Planter

What You’ll Need: 

• Mini terra cotta planter
• A colorful acrylic paint
• Paint brush
• Markers in various colors
• A small succulent

 Steps:

1. Start by using a brown marker to draw Xs on the base of the planter.
2. Next paint the top of rim of the planter. This is supposed to be the edges a dripping scoop of ice cream so it doesn’t need to be perfect.
3. Let the paint dry.
4. Use the markers to add small dashes in the painted area for sprinkles.
5. Remove the succulent from its original container and replant it in the new planter.

 See more activities for dementia patients.

Caregiver Tips

1. While doing activities with a loved one with dementia, engage them in conversation. Play music they enjoy softly in the background to create a positive mood.
2. Even though your loved one may not remember names or things that happened in recent days, they may still remember their childhood. Ask about favorite colors or clothing they used to wear.
3. Activities for people with dementia have the best chance of success early in the day 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.
4. Remember that the goal is to have an engaging activity with your loved one with dementia. Don’t worry about the end result.

Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care is 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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