I am a super lover of projects. Whether these are art, exercise, and fun pursuits or major work events, I just enjoy being engaged. With a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer's there are many things you can do to keep him/her involved and delighted.
Most people love games. In our respite retreat held twice monthly (hopefully moving this fall to every Monday), we play Yahtzee, dominoes, simple rummy, and Scrabble. The first is quick and easy - roll some dice and select what to save. It is engaging yet not too challenging. I love the way we all celebrate the success of other players - a Yahtzee for 1 is a Yahtzee for all. One of our respite attendees discussed having played Yard Yahtzee with giant dice. I need to check this one out for an out-of-doors play-day bit of fun.
Dominoes has been perfect, too. Just like rummy, most people have played dominoes before and just about everyone has their own set of rules. I love rule adjustment to fit the situation so these two games match well will our respite attendees and facilitators. We prefer the dominoes with large dots (and chips up to the double 6). They are easy to see and make for better involvement than the dominoes sets that go to double 12. The smaller game moves quickly and that's nice when we have time constraints.
Scrabble sometimes requires assistance for the loved one with dementia, but that's okay, too. I enjoy just playing letters where appropriate whether it is my turn or my partner's. We are still talking and spelling words, good exercises for the brain.
The most valuable asset of any game is the socialization that occurs. Chatter and interaction are key to good health and happiness. Games bring these out in a fantastic way.
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