15 Simple And Easy Crafts For Seniors With Dementia

Spending time with someone with dementia becomes more challenging as the days go by and the condition progresses.

To ensure improvement or prevent the worsening of the condition, seniors must stay mentally alert and occupied with hobbies and skills that will stimulate curiosity, build awareness, promote belief, and enhance focus.

They must enjoy the activities and find them fun rather than a duty. Here are 15 easy crafts for seniors with dementia.

15 Easy Crafts For Seniors With Dementia

1. Crêpe Paper Flowers

Paper flowers are easy, colorful, cheerful, and easy to make. Seniors with dementia feel a sense of accomplishment when they make flowers. While you can use any paper, crêpe paper is a better option as it does not rip easily and comes in nice, bright colors. To help the seniors make the flowers, you can give them simple instructions.

2. Clip Colorful Clothespin

This simple activity will keep seniors with advanced dementia engaged. For the activity, take brightly colored clothespins and ask the seniors to attach them to a rack, wire, or basket. This is one of those neither right nor wrong activities that keep seniors engaged. They are also fun and satisfying and give them a feeling of accomplishment.

3. Painted Beads

A form of art therapy, painting beads is a fun and messy way to relax the mind and divert it from any turmoil it is going through. Ask the adult to paint the beads however they like and let them dry. Once dried, you can make the activity difficult by asking to thread the beads.

P.S. Some seniors may have arthritis and may not be able to color the beads. You can give them a container filled with paint, ask them to drop the beads in it, and shake the container to color them.

4. Play With Legos

Legos are not just creative play; they are a form of therapy for people with dementia. All you need is some colorful legos. Give it to your seniors and ask them to make whatever they want. You will notice the blank stare in their eyes replaced with joy, which is more than one can ask for.

5. Scrapbook

Old people are no different from kids and toddlers. They like colorful, bright things, and scissors and glue are fascinating to them. Moreover, there are endless materials and ways to make a scrapbook. You can use magazines, newspapers, or old photos. Give them the supplies and watch them get creative. Be sure to give the seniors blunt scissors.

6. Making Cards

Cards are a way of expressing yourself. For people with dementia, it also means reviving beautiful memories, improving hand-eye coordination, and reducing anxiety. Give them simple things to work with, like stencils, templates, glitter paper, and cutouts, and help them make beautiful themed cards.

7. Photo Collages

Place this activity after the scrapbook activity, as it will be easier. You can make a collage from a magazine cutout or old family photos, about a rainy afternoon or a bright, sunny day, depending on the senior you are trying to help.

You can make it more creative and appealing by adding embellishments like stickers and ribbons. Making such picture crafts is a great way to start a conversation and help the individual revisit memories.

8. Arrange Flowers

If your seniors used to love gardening or just keeping things in order, they would love doing this. Get real or artificial flowers and some differently designed vases. Let them create flower arrangements the way they like it, and keep rotating the materials every few days.

9. Decorating Glass Containers

Glass containers are a great canvas for bringing out the inner artist and creating masterpieces. Your seniors can create beautiful storage pieces and vases by painting and decorating them with beads, stickers, ribbons, and glitter.

10. Bake Cookies

Baking is fun for people of all ages. The texture of the ingredients, the beautiful aroma, the sound of whipping and sizzling, the gorgeous cookies, and their yummy taste activate all five senses.

You can have a fun and engaging time kneading the dough and cutting out beautiful shapes with cookie cutters. You can add essential oils to make your activity more aromatic and relaxing.
You can extend the activity by decorating the cookies with icing and sprinkles.

11. Personalized Mugs

You can transform thrift store mugs into beautiful, hand-decorated gifts to cherish for a lifetime. For this activity, use oil-based paint markers and ask the seniors to paint as their hearts please. You can also ask them to handprint or thumbprint and make it a cool keepsake.

Once painted, dry the paint and bake the mug in an oven at 350 °F for 30 minutes. Fill it with treats and gift wrap them.

12. Fruit Coasters

Simple art activities like these help patients with dementia express themselves. They express emotions and thoughts that they are not able to communicate verbally. It improves their motor skills and elevates their mood.

For this activity, take dull coasters and paint them in vibrant colors in the designs of fruit slices. Seniors with unsteady hands will be unable to produce accurate designs, but the end product will still be lovely.

13. Sorting

Sorting is a great activity for adults as well as kids. It helps the adults focus on the different shapes and differentiate between them. You can use many items, like different types of beads, hardware parts, and coins. Give them several boxes or a large flat plate to separate different items.

14. Coloring

Another fun activity that is fun to do and great for releasing stress and anxiety is coloring. Also, special adult books and papers are now available, especially for seniors with dementia. You can buy the books, download the papers, and watch the seniors immerse themselves in color, fascination, and creativity.