Activities for LO with Dementia/AD

President Reagan raked leaves every day. At night, the Secret Seevice would rescatter the leaves for him to rake again the next day.

Iris

@JudyVE

This is another sad challenge of dementia.

Dementia is about so much more than memory loss. There are also losses things like executive function, spatial reasoning, auditory processing and social skills/filters fairly early on. As the disease progresses, there is often a dependence on their primary caregiver as a source of comfort in a world that doesn't always make sense, scaffolding of skills that are no longer automatic, and entertainment when other avenues no longer work for them. Their world becomes smaller. This apathy is harder for caregivers in a lot of ways than it is for the PWD typically.

I am not surprised the golf interest waned. Golf is hard-- it requires stamina (outings can be 4+ hours long), visual processing and can include a lot of group banter that's difficult for them to follow. It gets to a point where it's too much work. Dad's PA golf group was the first to ditch him; he was never a good golfer despite playing 5 days a week but early in dementia he was irritable and socially unfiltered and no fun to be around. Mom moved dad to a home on a golf course in MD in retirement and he burned through the new golf community there socially in about a year. Same thing happened in FL when they started spending half the year there.

My dad had always been a hyper-social person doing stuff. But as dementia worsened, he not only became less successful at the activities (golf, shooting range, deep sea fishing, dining out) he became less fun to be around and folks stopped inviting him. IME, people who have not suffered a cognitive shift aren't interested in socializing with 2nd-tier friends who have. Dad had 2 good friends who stuck with him, but even his brother was playing up the fact that they were "only half-brothers" who didn't really grow up together.

Social interaction is always suggested as part of best practices, but it's hard to translate into real life unless you have a large functional family or a couple of friends vying for sainthood. This can be hard on the primary caregiver who not only has to assume all of the household responsibilities formerly done by the spouse, but also operate something of a sleepaway camp for one apathetic camper. Some caregivers hire an aide/companion to engage their LO in activities like the gym or hiking. The trick is to present the person as a trainer or hiking buddy rather than something that smells of babysitting. Day programs, presented as "senior club" or even a volunteer opportunity, can be helpful in providing dementia-informed error-free activities to engage PWD and help them feel successful.

HB

My DH also was diagnosed 2 years ago but had behaviors for about 3 yrs. He is angry & agitated so socializing isn't an option. We are working with the Geriatric Psychiatrist to get him on Risperidone but he can only take low doses due to previous heart issues. He has bad knees so walking or exercising is out. He lost all interest in anything except TV and he gets aggravated because he can't work the remote. Even family gatherings are no longer a social event for me because I'm constantly watching him and worrying he will say something inappropriate. So far I haven't found anything he wants to do except go for a ride in the car and that is pure hell. He chatters incessantly and tells me how to drive and makes me a nervous wreck. He spends time rearranging every drawer, cabinet & pantry. He will help me clean, do the dishes and take out the trash (after he reorganizes it in the bag) 🤒 so I use those things to at least get him up and moving. Keep us posted if you have any successes. This is such a terrifying & heartbreaking disease.

About the only thing my mother would do is sing or dance to music + I dont think she cared if anyone else was there or not. Apathy + a reluctance to engage with others is many times just a part of the progression