Activities for Dementia Patients: Bookmark Craft

Engaging in crafts can be a truly beneficial and fulfilling activity for a loved one with dementia.

Crafts provide a wonderful opportunity for self-expression and creativity. The process of making something with their own hands can bring a sense of accomplishment and pride, boosting self-esteem and fostering a positive emotional state. This creative outlet can also help a loved one with dementia communicate their feelings and thoughts, even if words become challenging due to their condition. Crafts become a means of non-verbal communication, allowing them to express themselves freely.

Crafting can also serve as an excellent cognitive exercise. It requires concentration, problem-solving, and memory recall, stimulating various areas of the brain. Engaging in such activities regularly may potentially help slow down cognitive decline, maintaining cognitive function for a longer period. Additionally, crafts often involve repetitive actions and patterns, which can be comforting for individuals with dementia, reducing anxiety and agitation.

Crafting activities can provide social interaction and connection with others. Whether it's family members, friends, or caregivers participating in the craft together, it can foster a sense of togetherness and emotional bonding. Sharing the creative process may trigger shared memories or experiences, creating meaningful moments of connection and joy.

Crafts also serve as a source of sensory stimulation. Engaging with different textures, colors, and materials can awaken the senses and bring joy and pleasure. This sensory experience may help reduce restlessness and increase relaxation, promoting a sense of well-being for your loved one.

An activity like the bookmark craft below can create a positive and engaging environment, enhancing your loved one's overall quality of life and well-being.

Bookmark Craft

What You’ll Need: 

• Transparent contact paper
• Artificial flowers
• Safety scissors
• Hole punch
• Ribbon

 Steps:

1. Cut out two strips of contact paper. The strips should be bigger than you need for the bookmark.
2. Remove the backing from one strip of the contact paper and place it on the table with the tacky side facing up.
3. Apply artificial flowers, leaves, and other decorations.
4. Remove the backing from the other strip of contact paper.
5. Place it with the tacky side down on top of the flowers.
6. Smooth the bookmark so it lays flat.
7. Use the scissors to trim the bookmark to the size you prefer.
8. Use the hole punch to add a hole at one end.
9. Thread a ribbon through the hole and tie it.
10. Add the bookmark to a favorite book or gift them to family and friends.

See more activities for dementia patients.

 Caregiver Tips

1. This activity can be scaled to your loved one's abilities. For example, if they cannot safely use scissors, make the cuts for them.
2. While doing activities with a loved one with dementia, engage them in conversation. Play music they enjoy softly in the background to create a positive mood.
3. Even though your loved one may not remember names or things that happened in recent days, they may still remember their childhood. Ask about favorite colors or clothing they used to wear or how they celebrated holidays as a child.
4. Activities for people with dementia have the best chance of success early in the day when your loved one is well rested. If they don’t want to participate or get frustrated, don’t force it. Try again another time.
5. Remember that the goal is to have an engaging activity with your loved one with dementia. Don’t worry about the end result.

Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care is 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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