Coloured Paper Artwork

Try using coloured paper instead of plain white for artwork.

Black paper looks really good with light coloured paints or chalks.
Try oil pastels on black paper. Make lines and squiggles all over the page using different colours. Add gold or silver glitter from a tube for a great result.

Easy Dice Games

A pair of large dice can be used for many games. See my resources section for large and very large vinyl dice. There are also new dice games downloadable from data CD’s

A . Try this game with a small group of people for a reminiscing game

Each person has a throw of the 2 dice. The person has to remember what he/she was doing at the age shown eg 6 and 1 (61) or 2 and 5 (25) etc and make story. Or, add the dice numbers together to a number in childhood and remember what one did at the age of 5+5=10.Go around the group for some interesting stories

B . Use one dice for this game and a set of large letters face down. Also tokens for correct answers.

Turn over the top letter.
Each person throws a dice in turn and has to name 1-6 things starting with that letter. A token is given for each correct answer. The person with the most tokens is a winner.
There is also an easy dice game available in my resources section of the website

Photos, Alzheimers and more…

Excellent Client Suggestion

I got this suggestion from a carer of a dementia client. She bought a picture frame with inbuilt software of changing pictures of the family so he would be reminded of who he was and who his family are when he awoke. The pictures can be downloaded from the computer and come up like a screen saver.

Alzheimer’s association contact

Clients with early dementia are staying at home longer now and entering a facility when the condition becomes much more challenging for the family. Carers and therapists should log onto their state Alzheimer’s association for their free help sheets. If you are coming to Sydney NSW make an appointment to visit the library and information centre and the sensory room.

Photo Albums

Therapists should encourage families to make photo albums together for clients with early dementia and refer to them regularly.

Balloon icebreaker

Large balloons work well with small groups of dementia clients. This game is a great icebreaker to get people talking. It provides mental stimulation through easy reading. We had great fun with it.

Equipment- large balloon, permanent marker, music player and suitable music.
Using the permanent marker write 10 simple sentences on the balloon such as-

• Tell us about your family.
• Do you have any pets?
• What is your favourite TV show?
• What food do you really hate?
• Tell us where your childhood home was.
• What job did you have when you went to work?

The Game
The clients need to be sitting in a circle around the room with space between each person. Put on the music and pat the balloon to pass around the circle. Stop the music and whoever has the balloon needs to read a sentence. Give people a chance to comment do some reminiscing and start again.

Blue Danube painting

Here is a great idea for a winter art activity. I did this activity on a cold winters day with 16 clients. I gave each person different types of brushes and 3 shades of blue paint. We listened to the Blue Danube. We painted with the brushes in the air to the lovely music to loosen up. I showed them a variety of easy brushstrokes. I suggested painting something cool -river , winter scene or whatever they felt like. Then everyone had a go- the results were fantastic. In summer we will use warm colours for another fun art activity

Everyday is a Sensory Day

Make everyday a sensory day especially for your clients in residential care

Here are some suggestions-
Smell and taste – have some real coffee percolating nearby, warm a precooked pie or cake in the microwave, make some popcorn, pick herbs from the garden feel and smell, bring in a seasonal exotic fruit to discuss and taste

Vision and touch – put out seeds or bread for the birds in a bird garden, walk in the grounds to check the seasonal plants and gather seeds and nuts and remove dead flower heads

Vision and Sound Try my new ambient DVD’s using a small portable player for one- on- one in your sensory room or in a quiet room.

Show and Tell

Use the “show and tell” concept with your clients who come to a day activity centre.

This type of activity restores self-esteem and renews confidence. My clients brought in varied items especially photos of memorable events in their lives. One client brought in his model aeroplane, another his beautiful photos framed making a lovely exhibition. One lady brought in her mothers beautiful crochet items and enjoyed sharing with us what a wonderful person she was.

Snakes and Flowers

A day centre therapist shared this idea for her centre. She arranged for the local garden club in her area to make a visit. They brought along some oasis pieces and flowers from their gardens and showed the clients how to arrange the flowers. They really enjoyed this and went home that day with a beautiful arrangement.

She also got the local snake man from the local council to bring along his collection of snakes for the clients to see and touch. These were free and enjoyable activities.

Easy Greeting Card

Save all the silver or gold gift paper from Xmas and use for this easy idea.

* Fold an A4 coloured paper into 4 for a landscape orientation greeting card.
* Using a large paper punch out 2-3 hearts, flowers or star shapes on the first page of the card.
* Paste behind this rectangular front of the card paste a piece of gold or silver paper.
* Use some gold or silver paint and sponge around the edges of the punched shapes.
* Add a greeting to the front and write a message inside.

Themed Activities & The Sound Of Music

Activity mats

Activities for men and women with latter stage dementia.

Recreation staff are often challenged to find activities for those residents who like to rummage and touch different textures. June Neil from Blaxland in NSW has been producing therapeutic table covers for more than 10 years with great success. She has now a 4 person table covers that provides appropriate stimulation for those residents who enjoy a tactile experience. To find out more go to www.jaemond.com

Themed Activities.

Diversional therapists have been using the concept of themes for activities for many years. Themes encourage positive reminiscing and provide reality orientation besides enjoyment. A wonderful way to provide visual attraction for themes is to use posters and banners. Go to web of life productions and find a great variety of posters for most of the celebrations occurring throughout the year.

The posters can be laminated and stored and reused each year.

Sound Of Music singalong and Quiz.

I have just been given a DVD of the Sound of Music with a singalong section ( Pink Ribbon edition) and I can’t wait to try it out with my clients.

So have a “Sound Of Music theme” -show the movie- have singalong and a reminiscing session + quiz (featured in the Clever Therapist).

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“Lauretta’s books are invaluable in aiding diversional therapists and recreation officers in their daily activity programs”

Co-ordinator day care centre and registered nurse

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