Easter Egg Bunny: Activities for Dementia Patients

Living with dementia can be a very lonely experience. 

Individuals with dementia tend to stop pursuing regular activities and pastimes due to memory or mobility issues or because they lack the confidence to leave their homes out of fear of becoming lost, confused, or stigmatized.

Heartbreakingly, individuals with dementia experience friends and loved ones pulling away from them because they are unsure of what to say or they think the individual will be unable to fully participate in an activity.

As dementia progresses, the individual may also lose verbal skills, making it even more difficult for them to connect with others. 

This lack of engagement increases this individual’s feeling of loneliness and can lead to further withdrawal and depression. However, if you pay attention, you’ll see that a non-verbal individual may still be watching everything going on around them. They may still respond to a loving touch or their favorite song.

It is important to find activities for loved ones with dementia that are tailored to their abilities and interests. Crafts like the yarn-wrapped Easter egg bunny can be adapted to meet the individual’s skill set. The nice thing about easy crafts is that family members of all ages can join in the activity, giving everyone a new way to connect to their loved one with dementia and strengthen their bond.

Easter Egg Bunny 

What You’ll Need

• A plastic Easter egg
• White yarn
• White felt
• A pink pom pom
• Black thread cut into three two-inch pieces.
• Pink felt pen
• Two googly eyes
• Clear glue

Steps:

1. Add a few drops of glue to your egg and wrap it with your white yarn.
2. Secure the yarn with additional glue as needed.
3. Cut feet and ears from the white felt.
4. Use the felt pen to color the inside of the ears pink.
5. Put a drop of glue on each googly eye and place the eyes on the narrow top portion of the egg.
6. Place a drop of glue on the egg for your nose.
7. Add the three threads.
8. Place the pink nose on the drop of glue in the center of the threads.
9. Glue the white felt feet onto your egg.

See more activities for dementia patients.

Caregiver Tips 

1. The goal of this craft is to have an enjoyable time making it together. Don’t worry about the end product or making it look perfect.
2. It's helpful to start by attaching the yarn to the top of the egg with a drop of glue and letting this set before wrapping the egg.
3. If your loved one can no longer use scissors, pre-cut the threads and felt pieces.
4. While doing activities with a loved one with dementia, engage them in conversation. Play music your loved one enjoys softly in the background to create a positive mood.
5. Activities for people with dementia have the best chance of success in the morning between breakfast and lunch when this loved one is well rested. If they don’t want to participate or get frustrated, don’t force it. Try again another time.

Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care is also open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to support patients with dementia and their families. Please call us at 1-888-564-3405 to learn more about how our unique care programs help provide a higher quality of life for dementia patients while helping caregivers avoid burnout.

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