15 Sensory Activities for Late Stage Alzheimer's

Loving all the ideas, I am looking forward to implementing them. I have been asked to do a 1:1 with a lady living with dementia. She is immobile, almost blind and does not like her hands, arms or face to be touched. I am looking for ideas for sensory activities. I use nature sounds and aromatherapy/scents. I have a sensory box full of nature items like bark, stones, pinecones etc but she will not touch or hold them. I would love to hear your ideas on how I could make the time with her meaningful. Thank you.

I use the ideas from this site every day.

I work in Mental health and even though this is more for nursing homes, the activities are easily adjusted for Mental Health. Thank you for great ideas.

Well done to all you people out there looking after these people. Amazing sharing your ideas and what works for you and your clients. Keep up the fabulous work, and thank you all for sharing.

For one final stage woman I simply brushed her hair, her beautiful white hair, gently, for a long time--I had to keep switching arms--and then, this lady, who was almost entirely non-verbal, said, "Can you get it better than this?" I use pure coconut oil for hands and arms. It feels a tiny bit greasy (only press out a bit!) but this means I rub slowly and for a long time, particularly with my thumb on her palm. (I make "mini-containers" for sanitary reasons.) The scent is lovely for those who have not lost that sense.

Many of my late stage clients have a tremour, which eliminates certain activities. But I use felt and bits of many colours and sizes of fabric, sometimes (one lady) just wanted to feel the fabric, but then she began to make pictures of a sort. Then, because she knew, maybe, that it was December, she took a larger white piece and gave herself a beard. She had no words but we laughed ourselves silly. She died in February.

A number of men refuse anything "crafty" but will play ball if they still have eyesight and movement. These various sized and textured balls are very soft squishy and I sit almost knee to knee. Big "beach balls" seem intimidating sometimes. The majority of the interaction is really just our sharing of laughter, the ball is the tool. Balls are light, different sizes. I found one at a pet store. He never "misses" when he throws, I say, "Trick throw, you got me." And if he doesn't catch it, I get it off the floor and say, "Quick, no one saw that." Some women like this game too. Usually, aphasia permits little conversation, but sometimes I can get a response, "Did you play catch as a kid?" It's erratic though, there are days when this interaction isn't possible.

I am a practicing occupational therapist assistant who deals a lot with dimentia patients. I am currently in a pickle trying to find ways to sensory stimulate a patient who is in the late stage. She is often in a stupor out state and very difficult to arouse. He ability and desire to communicate are severely diminished along with physical abilities, requiring max assist for all self care. I have tried a variety of sensory input but I'm trying to focus on tactile she doesn't respond to cold or light touch on cervical extensors does anyone have some ideas?

Cathy, terrific ideas for your sensory basket. Thank you for sharing them with us, I hope to incorporate a couple of the ideas into our baskets.

We have a sensory basket. It is an old wicker picnic basket filled with things to touch and do. EG: different textured material, feather boa, scourer pad, I spy bag, artificial flower ( we spray it with perfume occasionally), bells, brush, squishy ball, bubble maker and more items like that.

We had an elderly farmer and he use to have a black and white Kelpie he loved. I found a stuffed toy kelpie in an op shop and bought it for him in mind. He loved it and would sit patting it for ages and when I spoke to him anout his dog he would smile. I once asked him if he "whistled up" his dog and how was it done. Lo and behold! he started whistling! Now the farmer has passed on but the "dog" is still used for dog lovers for cuddles.

in our Dementia area we did a touch and feel painting that was quite large and we had a beach effect where sand was applied, and shells to touch residents would feel the painting and say how they used to go to the beach and pick shells ...we also had a cassowary put in their with the black feathers tiles to create a bridge and fishes that had sequins in for scales unendless sensory moments residents loved this

I have middle to late stage dementia, and I find our residents love country western music(old style) 60's music and Cook Island music. Some tap their feet, some get up and dance or jiggle, and you can feel the happiness in the room. We dont have a T.V. in our activities room.

Marina - Secure Dementia wing

hi my name is Karen we also did memory boards with pictures of old adds and products ie, carnation milk ads arrowroot biscuits and old arnotts biscuit tins and they loved it and talked about what they cooked with the canned milk