What type of activities can a person with moderate dementia do?

I'm struggling with a similar issue. My mom always complains that there isn't enough to do, that she's bored. I can't take hearing it one more time. I have gone above and beyond to make sure she has a variety of things that she "could" do (books, coloring books, knitting, puzzle books, TV, blank cards to write notes and send, etc.), yet she refuses to do anything, won't go to any of the scheduled activities and groups because "they aren't interesting", doesn't ever turn on the TV (it was on incessantly at her house), and crabs at me about it.

I know she goes to the art therapy group, I see the charges on her Medicare statements, but half the time she doesn't even remember they came (I always ask what project they did with the art ladies). I know she wants to sew and quilt, but she is not allowed a sewing machine, and from what I saw before she went to MC, she is not capable of running a sewing machine any longer (the handmade quilt that she made me was a victim of a project I tried getting her to work on at my home before I moved her...it kept her focused a bit, but I'm incredibly sad that it isn't usable any longer). I'm not even certain she can discern colors and shapes at this point based on an art project that I took to do with her one weekend. I just don't know what, if anything, I can do. And I don't want to hear the complaining and whining either. It's so stressful.

Peeps83: Per Google - What should a person with Alzheimer's do if he is bored?

Have ready some kind of activity, such as a familiar book or photo album to look at. This can help if the person with Alzheimer's is bored or confused and needs to be distracted. But be prepared to skip the activity if it is not needed.

https://www.alz.org/help-support/resources/kids-teens/50-activities

Online: www.Lumosity.com

Old records from her youth.

I would go to a craft store and buy things for my Mother and I to paint - like unpainted wood bird houses..simple, inexpensive and easy enough for her to do. I used to tell her I was going to sell them on Amazon and make us rich! 😁 Also look in stores/on line for crafts for kids..lots of things out there that someone with dementia can do. I entertained my Mother for years with these things during her dementia. She lived to 103!

Even if she doesn't participate in the facility activities, just being in the same room with people will provide a mental distraction for her. As others have suggested, you will need to come to peace with the fact that she will start to have a lot of "down time", since no one will be able to keep her engaged for all her waking hours. This is ok, there is no harm in this. Mostly, she needs to get up and out of the wheelchair so she doesn't develop pressure sores.

When we visit my MIL in LTC with mild/mod dementia and short-term memory impairment, we look up funny animal videos on our laptop and watch them together. This never fails to get a reaction out of her. Mostly the action can't be too fast, so she can process it.

IF there is an Adult Day Program now would be a great time to get her involved.
Most provide transportation. They provide a lunch a snack and a full day of activities and sometimes an outing.

Many senior centers have activities that she might enjoy. BUT not if she might be a "flight risk" or if she needs extra care. And they may want you to remain on site.

Take her out, go for a walk. will do you both good.

Card games. Not a regular game but match suits, match colors, match numbers. Put the numbers in order. Play "War" (you each put a card down the one with the highest card down wins the card, game ends when you have had enough or when one person has all the cards)

And the "you have heard it before" ones
Fold towels
pair socks
have her help prep veggies for dinner (if it is safe for her to do so)
let her help load the dishwasher or let her help wash dishes.
Give her a magazine or paper and ask her to cut out coupons, pictures, recipes
coloring book
paints, finger paints are great.
let her help you make cookies.
Puzzles

And lastly
let her do nothing.
it is difficult for a brain with dementia to process, it takes time. I have read that it can take 45 to 60 seconds to process a question. I don't know about you but sometimes in a minute I am on a completely different topic.
As she declines she will sleep more, she will want to do less because it is difficult for the brain to sort out the input.

I bought large triangular shaped crayons and adult coloring books with large simple pictures, and my LO spent quite a bit of comfortable coloring time during her last year in her MC.

The triangular crayons couldn’t roll, so she was a little more able to self initiate, which seemed good for her.

You have realized, as I ultimately did, that it is possibly more distressing to you than to her that she may be “bored”. In retrospect I think my LO was more exhausted and uncomfortable than “bored”.

I was always charmed that almost as long as she lived, she retained her ability to discern her choices of particular colors, and use them appropriately. It delighted me that she could do that for so long.

It is very limiting and frustrating. She probably is bored. My mom used to love to garden but that is getting hard for her. She still dabbles. She also has two cats that she looks after (with some assistance) and they provide companionship. Other than that, she goes for walks, likes to go for drives (her caregiver driving her) just to see the scenery, and listens to music. She likes to sing although she can’t remember most of the words. She used to sew and she can’t anymore but she likes to feel and play with the fabric. She loves to shop but that is not a great thing for her to do and she likes to go out to eat. That’s about all she can really do at this point. What else can you do when you are in your 80s are blind and have dementia? Personally, it seems very nice and peaceful to me but she hates it. She wants someone to talk to her and tell her jokes and make her laugh. She really misses having a spouse and her sister passed as well so she is very alone but we don’t exist to entertain her.

Thanks to everyone for these suggestions. I have gotten her a "figit" mat which she does use sometimes. I may try a coloring book. She is in a wheelchair and can only take a few steps with a walker. She is in a NH and does join in some of the activities that are provided- listens to music performances, church service, etc., but there are a lot of things she just can't do anymore. I know this is how dementia progresses, but it makes me sad.

I would say, continue to let her watch and read what she wants, engage in conversations maybe about TV program or magazine while she is focused on the same with simple questions and discussions and help her to get up and walk if possible-- maybe take outside with supervision while enjoying nature to add variety and exercise in her day.

Dementia patients tend to be in their own little world. It might look like boredom but probably isn’t. A broken brain processes thing much differently than a normal one. Sometimes it’s best to just let them be.

This might sound strange to you, but people with advancing dementia often enjoy the same things that a toddler does.

I had a client who used to love turning the knobs on an Etch-A-Sketch for hours at a time.


I had another one who had a white magnet board and would arrange the magnets on it for hours.


I've seen people now give the person a quilted and padded fabric book. The "pages" are colorful and have different textured fabrics done like a patchwork. They have things like teething-ring keys sewn on them and different colorful stuff like that. I've seen this product keep a person with dementia busy for a long time.

Adult daycare is a good idea as suggested. There are activities for every level of mental capacity.

I read this a lot here "He or she is bored". You may be but you would be surprised that when the brain is dying boredom is not a huge factor anymore, it doesn't exist in their minds.

Why not just let her be, sit quietly or whatever.

My step-mother is in MC, she used to make jewelry, draw and more hobbies, now she colors with pencils, I buy her adult coloring books. Still has some interest in this, but that is waning as well.

It is the disease, accept it, there is nothing that can be done

Do you have an Adult Daycare Center where you live, as they are great with having many different kinds of activities for folks with dementia? She could be there up to 5 days a week and 8 hours a day. They serve breakfast, lunch and a snack. And if mom can't afford that, they do have some financial help available.
It will be a Godsend for her and for you as well as it will give you time to do things for yourself.

Music is also something to consider sharing with your mom, as music is something that is stored in a different part of the brain and even with dementia, folks still can sing along to their favorite songs.
Or you can try buying her some adult coloring books and let her color to her hearts content. One of the ladies in my caregiver support groups husband loves to color in them and does a really good job and he actually stays in the lines.
I would play the card game war with my late husband as he still was able to discern numbers.
Other will come along with other suggestions, but really the best answer will be the adult daycare for her as they do such a wonderful job with folks with dementia.

Have you looked into adult day services for social/recreational outings? How is her mobility? What you might think is boredom could also be apathy in your mom which is common as this disease progresses.