The Importance of Tailored Activity Programs for Those with Dementia

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Emerald Crest’s Occupational therapy program offers direct care staff and families a better understanding of their loved ones cognitive capacity and needs to enable them to be successful at their highest level with day to day activity.  Here are a few important programming considerations when choosing a memory care community.

• Does the community have a licensed clinician Occupational Therapist available to assist in the development of individualized designed activities?  Occupational therapists are educated and specially trained with knowledge and skills to customize activities by grading them up or down for each level of dementia and most importantly, how to collaborate with and teach caregivers how to carry out those activities.
• Does the layout of the community promote active participation in daily activities?   Memory Care Communities with open common spaces and minimum barriers promote ease in participation in activities which helps them maintain their abilities longer.  Environments with multiple community rooms, hallways, levels, and other distractions increase isolation and confusion resulting in a decline in functioning.
• Are activities integrated for residents at all stages?  How and who determines the appropriate activities for each stage? All residents at any stage of dementia can benefit from activities.  However, it is important to have activities that match a person’s capabilities in order to decrease stress and agitation for the individual with dementia.  For example, early to mid stages are introduced to goal-directed and multi step activities to achieve a just right challenge; in later stages individuals are introduced to activities based on repetitive motion (e.g., folding towels, washing windows) and that integrate activities that are based on the senses. (e.g., soft music, objects pleasant to touch)
• Are the residents guided in a structured day or are they expected to follow their own schedule/calendar?  Is the activities lead by staff from start to finish? Individuals who have cognitive impairment lose their ability to initiate, sequence, and complete activities from start to finish without the guidance of care partner.  Isolation and other common behaviors (e.g., wandering, rummaging, hoarding, resistiveness) can result when a individual with dementia is expected to initiate and carry out their own day by themselves.
• How does the community incorporate Television in activities?  Although Television is a popular activity in many of our lives, it can cause challenges in the lives of those with dementia.   Daily television content (e.g., soap operas, daily news, and violent images) can cause increased anxiety and agitation because those with dementia cannot differentiate what’s real and what’s not.  Limiting the television to designated times and viewing content that is familiar and simple to follow (e.g., old time music shows, relaxing videos, familiar sports) promotes less anxiety and agitation.

Emerald Crest by Augustana care began providing memory care assisted living in 1998.  Since 1998 Emerald Crest by Augustana Care has grown to four convenient locations, Burnsville, Minnetonka, Shakopee and Victoria.  Our unique cognitive care program and environment is well known and sought after in the housing field.  To learn more about Emerald Crest by Augustana Care visit www.emeraldcrest.com or call 952-908-2215.