Keeping a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease Mentally Active

By Andy Niska | June 30, 2017 |

Senior Care in Spokane WA: Staying Mentally Active

Your loved one needs to keep her brain going, especially if she’s battling Alzheimer’s disease. The trick can be knowing which activities are the right ones for your loved one. You can get ideas from all over the place, but some of the best ideas can come from observing your loved one.

Keep it Simple.

If you’re choosing complicated activities for your elderly loved one, both of you are likely to find yourselves disappointed. The simpler you can keep the activities that your loved one tries out, the better. Keep your expectations on the lower end and try to just have fun.

Watch for Signs of Frustration.

While your loved one is trying out new activities, pay attention to how she’s doing. If she’s showing signs of frustration or irritation, it’s probably not the right activity or the right time for that activity. If it’s an activity that she’s enjoyed in the past, your loved one might be overly tired or simply not in the mood.

Start with Activities You Know She Enjoys.

When you’re looking for new activities for your loved one, start out by looking at activities that she already enjoys. For example, if she likes puzzles, she might enjoy matching games. Experiment with different activities to find the right ones for your loved one.

Ask Your Loved One to Help You Plan Activities.

Another way to ensure that your loved one has plenty of activities available that she enjoys is to keep her involved in the planning process. If your loved one feels as if she doesn’t have a say in what she’s doing for fun, she may start to feel resentful of the entire process.

Make Activities Social.

Keeping the activities that you try with your loved one social can help her to feel more relaxed and happy while she’s engaging in them. Schedule times that family members and friends can stop by and play a game or do something else. Even senior care providers can join in and keep your loved one company while she’s exercising her brain.

Keep track of what your loved one enjoys doing and try to incorporate more of that in each day.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Spokane, WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love at Home Senior Care, today. Call (509) 204-4088

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Andy Niska

Owner at Love In Home Senior Care

Andy has over 20+ years experience in the medical community and has a true compassion for seniors. With a degree in Health Care Administration, he developed a background in a variety of health care services that only comes from first hand experience. While working as a manager of a large clinic and as an account executive for medical suppliers. Andy has built valuable relationships with the medical community.

His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.