Sensory resources are becoming more widely used for patients with dementia. A 2018 study in the US identified and examined the benefits of using sensory products for people with dementia who live in long-term care settings. It found that, “sensory and memory stimulation therapies have the potential to help improve many dementia-specific issues for individuals living in long-term care settings.”
What are the Benefits of Puzzles and Games for Dementia?
There’s more to looking after dementia patients than having someone do crossword puzzles to help with Alzheimer’s disease. Read on to learn about the benefits of puzzles, games and aged care resources for dementia patients. Learn how they can help reduce anxiety in dementia patients and which are the best dementia aids to help those in need.
Helps with social withdrawal
One of the main challenges for dementia patients is social withdrawal. Disengaging from social activities can lead to a loss of confidence and often becomes a vicious cycle where dementia patients don’t want to socialise or attend activities anymore.
To begin with, dementia patients may find it hard to follow conversations, resulting in feelings of embarrassment, frustration or anxiety.
Daily activities and a routine can provide the structure dementia patients need. By staying busy and remaining physically and mentally active, social withdrawal symptoms can improve. Sensory products for dementia patients are helpful as they provide a source of focus and structure to a daily routine. A doll or weighted toy may evoke memories of parenting or a loving relationship with a pet, whilst a puzzle uses fine motor skills, memory usage, problem-solving, colour and pattern identification and other skills to employ cognitive function.
Helps with apathy
Dementia patients can experience feelings of apathy and hopelessness. Soft animal toys resembling a pet they used to love can relieve dementia patients’ stress when they need it.
Supports Self-Management of Sundowning
‘Sundowning’ is a colloquial term that refers to the changes in behaviour that occur in some dementia patients during the evening, around dusk.
These behaviours can include increased levels of stress, the feeling of having forgotten something, or being in the wrong place. A weighted toy can help ‘ground’ them in their current location and act as recurring support, just like stress balls and sensory fidget products.
Helps with vocalisation
Patients with dementia can find it hard to communicate their mental, physical, and environmental needs, leading to distress, anxiety, frustration, and sadness. The use of non-pharmaceutical strategies like dementia products and interactive games for dementia patients can help. Dementia aids reduce verbal agitation and improves the ability to communicate.
They can also:
- Distract the person when they’re enjoying playing with puzzles, dementia brain training games, fidget products or card games
- Becomes a way to communicate by using the soft toy or doll as a focus
Keep the mind active with memory games for dementia
Helps with aggressive behaviour
Dementia patients may display aggressive behaviour if they feel pain, stress, anxiety or confusion. A holistic approach using dementia aids can include:
- Creating a calm home environment with soft cushions, blankets, fragrances, and photos
- Supporting the dementia patient to remain physically active
- Ensuring they get enough sleep
Providing them with ADHD products to calm the mind
Our range of sensory toys for dementia includes soft toys, dolls, puzzles, stress balls and fidget toys. Holding a stuffed toy can give dementia patients the sensory experience they need to feel calmer and more secure. Stroking a soft animal that resembles an old pet can be beneficial.
Provides a diversion from ruminating
Ruminating, where dementia patients continuously think about the same thoughts over and over, is common. Fidget products help create a focus of attention for dementia patients. This can help break this cycle of sad or dark thoughts and reduce feelings of restlessness and agitation. Shop our collection of fidget products for dementia patients.
What toys should you get for people with dementia?
When you think about how to help people with Alzheimer’s disease, the idea of toys for dementia patients may sound strange. However, these products are a perfect way for dementia patients to stimulate their senses and enjoy various engaging activities.
Sensory products for dementia are an effective enrichment activity that can help dementia patients cope with feeling agitated, stressed, or apathetic. Dementia brain training games and sensory products can also help improve fine motor and dexterity skills, hand-eye coordination, concentration, and social skills.
When considering which sensory products to get, it’s essential to consider the following:
- The patient’s interest: While there’s no right or wrong dementia toy, they may feel more engaged if you match the toy with their interests.
- Potential hazards: Check the toy hasn’t got potential choking circulation hazards like pieces that can be removed or strings that can be tied.
- The stage of dementia: Early and middle-stage dementia patients may not benefit from dementia toys as much as late-stage dementia patients when agitation levels can be severe.
Weighted Toys for Dementia
Dementia patients can respond positively to soft toys they can grasp, hold, or cuddle. This can help ease feelings of isolation and sadness.
These soft toys are also designed to look and feel like animals, to simulate the experience of holding and stroking a pet. The weight and soft fur acts as a reminder of a pet that can offer comfort and security, especially during periods of anxiety.
Soft weighted toys act as sensory products for dementia patients that can also help them psychologically by providing a sense of attachment, comfort, and security. This can help ease anxiety and stress if dementia patients feel vulnerable or unsafe.
Games & Puzzles for Dementia
Games and puzzles can use skills that are diminishing such as; memory, sorting, matching, fine motor and concentration, as well as being an enjoyable source of distraction and entertainment.
Our range includes games and puzzles for dementia patients, Imaginative Play, and Cause and Effect products.
When choosing dementia games and puzzles, it is important to consider:
- The size and how many pieces would be suitable for their current cognitive condition so as not to cause frustration or stress.
- Whether the puzzle could be done as a social exercise involving others.
- Suitability of puzzle content – for example: are they familiar with the items in the picture?
- Fine motor ability and whether they are capable of piecing the puzzle together. Select a puzzle that might have larger pieces if fine motor is an issue.
Stress balls for dementia
Stress balls can be used for hand therapy, fidgeting and anxiety management. A great part of our anxiety aids collection, Available in various colours and textures, our stress balls can be squeezed to exercise the arms, hands, and fingers. This helps to maintain mobility, strength, and circulation.
Sensory Fidget Products for Dementia
Sensory fidget products can support their psychological needs by making them feel engaged, occupied, and involved in repetitive but meaningful activities. Just like the use of autism spectrum support toys, when dementia patients use fidget products, there’s no right or wrong way to use them; it is a deeply personal form of self-support.
This helps to encourage dementia patients’ creativity and interaction while they twist, turn, slide, spin, and roll their fidget products.
Browse our range of toys to support people with dementia
Browse our range of sensory products to support people with dementia. At Special Needs Resources, we have a wide range of resources for dementia, including puzzles, soft weighted toys, sensory fidget products and stress balls.
Please contact us if you would like to receive any support about using NDIS funding for your purchases, or if you have any other questions and need to reach out to our friendly team.
Clinical Interventions in Aging, 2018; 13: 967–974. “Sensory and memory stimulation as a means to care for individuals with dementia in long-term care facilities.” Michael Mileski, Joseph Baar Topinka, Matthew Brooks, Corie Lonidier, Kelly Linker, and Kelsey Vander Veen Published online 2018 May 17. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S153113