Crafting & living with Dementia

Craft ideas - Supporting someone living with Dementia 

Living with dementia can be very challenging at times, as can supporting someone who is living with Dementia, but engaging in fun activities can lift spirits and bring some amazing positivity. Doing crafts with a loved one or a friend who is living with dementia can be beneficial for everyone involved as you can all focus on your quality time together.

One great thing about crafts is there is no right way to do it, so someone living with dementia wont feel as if they've done it wrong and have a negative experience. You should also choose tasks that are safe & non complex to avoid any injuries.

Here are some of our ideas of things you can do with someone living with Dementia: 

Painting

Painting together can be great fun and there are so many options of what to paint. You could paint on paper or try something more unique like a model or sign. You could paint something for each other to keep so you've always got a memory of that day.

Why not go on step further and link it to something from their past, such as a picture or model of a train if they used to live near a train station, or use a train to commute regularly.

You could even bring up photos of places they used to live, or things they enjoyed, and centre the crafts around this. 

Scrapbook creating

Find some old photos, print some copies, and create a scrapbook to reminisce on old memories. This can be a great way for someone with dementia to remember old times, but also have a book they can regularly look back on to make them smile. Fill the book with captions and little memories to make it as special as possible.

Decorating a flower pot and arranging flowers

Together you can decorate plant pots as something that you can both keep. You can then arrange flowers in the pot you've created, or grow a plant and have it as a memory of you together in their house.

Colouring Books

An adult colouring book can give someone a good sense of achievement so why not look for a large print colouring book or adult colouring book to try? You can use pens, pencils, or even paint!

If having read this short blog, you take just one thing away, let it be this: Someone living with Dementia can still create memories, still enjoy your company & they still are a truly special person. They may forget what you did together, the things you said & what you achieved, but they won't forget how you made them feel.