Participating in meaningful activities is important for individuals of all ages. For a person living with dementia, continuing to engage in activities that they enjoy, aligned with their interests and abilities, can contribute to their self-esteem, promote creativity and add to their quality of life.
A new video series created by the McGill Dementia Education Program, together with the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, highlights activities that caregivers can do with a person living with dementia. The videos provide safety tips and helpful advice on how to adapt the difficulty level to a person’s abilities.
This video series is based on the Dementia Activity Booklet, an engaging online toolkit that was created in 2020 by four graduate occupational therapy students under the supervision of Marie-Eve Bolduc, Assistant Professor (Professional) at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy. The booklet has been very popular and so, with Professor Bolduc’s guidance, and funding from the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation, we have brought some of those activities to life in videos.
This video series, Activities to Engage People Living with Dementia, features 12 activities:
- Making origami, jewellery, playdough and cooking to stimulate creativity.
- Creating a scent kit to stimulate your senses.
- Participating in household activities including cleaning out the fridge, decluttering, and folding laundry to encourage a sense of self.
- Doing chair exercises to promote physical activity.
- Going on a virtual adventure to engage in social interactions.
- Playing bingo and doing jigsaw puzzles to engage the brain.
Learn how to engage in meaningful activities safely, creatively, and enjoyably!
The booklet and videos are available to access for free in both English and French on the Dementia Education Program website.
