At Rubislaw Park, we are proud to offer comprehensive dementia care to our residents living with dementia.
We believe that everyone should live a happy and meaningful life, no matter what medical condition they have. We ensure that our residents living with dementia are engaged in a number of activities as it helps to alleviate the negative emotions and feelings linked with dementia such as anxiety, agitation, frustration, and depression. Keep reading to find out more about the dementia-friendly activity ideas that we offer at Rubislaw Park.
Reliving past memories is nostalgic for anyone, especially as we grow older. Remembering the past doesn’t have to be a sad experience, it’s about celebrating life by remembering all you have achieved.
Dementia tends to affect the short-term memory of a person as opposed to the long-term, therefore residents living with the condition often remember times of their lives from decades ago, but may not remember what they did yesterday.
Creating a memory box is a stimulating activity for people living with dementia. We invite friends and family into our home to bring in photos and personal items if a resident doesn’t already have these amongst their personal belongings, in order to create a wonderful memory box that they can cherish and keep in their bedroom. We enjoy hearing residents tell personal stories about when they were younger as photos tend to help unlock memories.
Believe it or not, “chores” can help to stimulate a person living with dementia. Not only does it keep a resident focused, but it's a comforting task as household activities are something that many of us would have carried out independently in the past. Tasks such as folding towels and washing up is an effortless chore that can be done without much supervision or help.
By allowing a resident to carry out everyday tasks which are considered “normal”, means they can feel relaxed and do something that comes naturally to them.
Not only does getting out into the fresh air do wonders for our mental health, but doing an activity such as gardening brings a sense of independence and responsibility. Regular Vitamin D also has many health benefits so spending time outside to enjoy the wonderful surroundings is heavily encouraged, especially when the sun is shining.
Gardening can be done in a group setting or alone, but our staff are always there to guide residents as well as keep them company in their endeavours. We believe it’s rewarding for residents to see the flowers or plants they have planted in all their glory every time they step outside.
Another dementia friendly activity we do with our residents is playing board games. We believe that playing games is a great way to get residents together, as it allows them to get to know fellow residents which is one of the many benefits of assisted living, it also keeps their problem-solving brain ticking over (plus it’s great fun).
We have an ever-growing collection of games here at Rubislaw Park but just a few of them include chess, dominos, jigsaw puzzles, jenga, and scrabble. Residents can spend hours playing board games with one another and this activity never fails to put a smile on their faces - even the staff insist on joining in.
Reading is a mentally stimulating activity, and considering the stage of dementia, we believe that reading is extremely beneficial for those living with dementia. Whether it be a book, a newspaper or magazine, just a few minutes a day of reading a news story, or a chapter of a novel can help with one’s memory.
Residents can spend as long as they need to and if they don't want to continue reading a book, that’s completely fine too. If our residents prefer to be read to or find it hard to focus, our staff can read to our residents as this enables them to use their imagination and uncover memories of relatable moments in their life.
We encourage all residents, including those with alzheimers and dementia to be as active as possible; whether that’s taking a stroll around the gardens or going further afield, we believe physical activity, no matter how extensive, is important for everyone. We often take our residents to the local town to do a number of excursions, and we have found that getting out and about and feeling part of the community significantly improves overall wellbeing.
Friends and family are also invited to come along if they would like. Outside activities could include feeding the birds at a park or going to a local café for tea and cake, whatever it is, we promise our residents will have a ball.
Dancing is another fantastic dementia friendly activity for our residents. Whether you’re good at it or not, dancing is sure to provide a feel-good factor regardless. Dancing is not only a great way to get the body moving, but learning dance moves also uses the cognitive side of the brain in order to follow steps and remember a routine. This type of activity is a must when it comes to involving our residents living with dementia as it has so many physical, mental and emotional benefits.
Residents have the opportunity to be social by dancing in a group or as a pair, and some residents may find that a certain type of dance brings them back to their younger days which is a wonderful moment to revisit.
Arts and crafts is a popular activity that includes creative tasks such as painting, drawing, clay making, origami, flower arranging and much more. Arts and crafts sessions allow residents with dementia to become engrossed in a fun-filled activity.
It enables them to be creative and imaginative, whilst socialising with others on the same project. Residents love to see how their masterpieces turn out and often keep them on display in their rooms or give to loved ones.
Our staff is always there to lend a helping hand with our arts and crafts if needed, but we want to give our residents as much creative freedom as possible.
Music is another activity that can bring an individual back to a particular time in their life. Residents in the past have enjoyed performances from singers, choirs and bands and it’s wonderful to watch residents sing along to songs of their past and witness the elevation of everyone’s mood. We even have our very own Edelweiss Choir run by our Dementia Unit Team Leader, Susan Gray. The choir group meets every Tuesday, and gives residents the perfect opportunity to enjoy music and spend time singing together.
We believe it is important to incorporate music into our home for those living with dementia as it improves attention, cognition, speech, memory, and communication skills and can help to reduce depression.
We are thrilled to be able to include every resident in our activities programme as our mission is to better the overall wellbeing of everyone. Residents living with dementia shouldn’t stop enjoying the simple things in life just because they live in a nursing home, that’s why our staff works hard to provide appropriate care and improve quality of life each and every day.
If you are looking for a care home for a loved one who’s living with Dementia, do not hesitate to get in touch with our helpful team to discuss Rubislaw Park Care Home’s available care options.
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