Tools

Here are tools and ideas that really work for caregivers or those who provide care to a senior.

How to Make
Moments Count in
Care Facilities?

As we all know, visiting a loved one in a nursing home can be difficult, disheartening and frustrating, but it can also be an opportunity to learn more about each other. Talking isn’t always necessary in order to have quality moments. But if we do decide to talk and the person we’re visiting is able to, it’s crucial that we do it the right way. Here are a few tips to adapt our communication.

The first thing you need to do is identify the reason behind your question. What is your motive? Do you want to know the answer or is it a way to make conversation about a subject important to the other person? Take this example: you ask them what their favourite ice cream flavour is. There are so many choices. Too many. The person might not have the answer you’re looking for at their fingertips and their inability to answer the simplest question may cause a great sense of personal failure. If, on the other hand, you ask them whether they prefer vanilla or chocolate-flavoured ice cream, the choice is much simpler. By asking the question this way, you’ve considerably reduced the risk that the other person wouldn’t be able to answer. That is why it is crucial to ask questions that don’t require precise answers in order to let the conversation flow naturally.

We must ALWAYS
find failure-free activities!

One thing is for sure, some conversation topics, such as feelings, babies, love and tender moments never fail to get people with dementia to open up.

No matter what we choose, we must ALWAYS find failure-free activities. In other words, an activity where there are no winners or losers. The fun lies in the activity rather than the result. But concretely, what does that mean? It means that when we pick a puzzle, for example, we choose a simple one with mature illustrations and most importantly, we place the pieces close to the other person so that they’re easy to reach. We can take the piece and ask: do you think this one goes here? The answer is simple. Yes or no. Can you imagine being in the advanced stages of the illness and having to find where the piece goes? Why would we place the other in a situation where they might have no clue what to answer? It is crucial to reevaluate our objectives.

3 Activities That Work

The following activities are for caregivers of seniors living at home or in long-term care facilities. They are as easy to do as they are accessible and fun. Both the caregivers and their loved ones enthusiastically appreciate them. We encourage you to frequently visit this page as we will update it regularly with new activities.

Free activity booklet: Spring 2024

The new spring activity booklet for seniors living with Alzheimer’s is now available for download! Stimulate your residents’ memories and creativity with colourful activities!Every page of this free activity book contains an activity that combines fun and cognitive stimulation for seniors.   Dive into reminiscence through activities designed to bring back fond memories…

Read more
Creating Strong Bonds

Some call them intergenerational activities, but to simplify, they are interactions between seniors in loss of autonomy and their grandchildren.

Read more
Reading With Seniors

There eventually comes a moment when we feel like a person with a loss of autonomy doesn’t feel like doing anything anymore.

Read more

Steps

It is difficult to understand why suddenly, today, our loved one seems unable to do an activity they could do yesterday. Dementia is complex and doesn’t develop in a straight line. Each stage may overlap and vary from one person to another. It’s important to keep in mind that a person might not be able to do an activity one day, and the following day recover their capacities. We need to slowly reintegrate the activity to allow the person to keep their autonomy as much as possible.

Tools that really work

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    The Tender, Loving, Care Doll

    #C0060
    $98.95
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    The Tender, Loving, Care Doll

    #C0060

    $98.95

    Offering a therapeutic doll to a resident is giving her the chance to give again.
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    Twiddle™Pup

    #1859
    $114.95
    Add to cart

    Twiddle™Pup

    #1859

    $114.95

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    Companion Pet – Silver Cat

    #17300
    $199.95
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    Companion Pet – Silver Cat

    #17300

    $199.95

    A wonderful innovation designed to bring comfort, companionship and fun for your elder loved ones. It meows! It purrs! It nuzzles!It opens and closes its eyes!It raises its paws!It rolls onto its back for a belly rub!… And all it takes is a few simple pats! These beautiful cats with gray
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    Mp3 Music Player – Lift Simpl – Red

    #25201
    $234.95
    Add to cart

    Mp3 Music Player – Lift Simpl – Red

    #25201

    $234.95

    Now available in Canada through CDS Boutique! The key is…. SIMPLICITY! Studies show that music is one of the best trigger for happy memories. The Simple Music Player has been designed to be as easy to operate as possible for the end user—that is, poeple with dementia. Setting up the
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    Aquapaint – Wonderful Animals

    #28100
    $32.95
    Add to cart

    Aquapaint – Wonderful Animals

    #28100

    $32.95

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    Talking Photo Album

    #28017
    $129.95
    Add to cart

    Talking Photo Album

    #28017

    $129.95

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    2-Way – Shut the Box

    #27042
    $56.95
    Add to cart

    2-Way – Shut the Box

    #27042

    $56.95

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    Giant Adapted Jigsaw Puzzle – Cat ( 13 pcs)

    #28104
    $29.95
    Add to cart

    Giant Adapted Jigsaw Puzzle – Cat ( 13 pcs)

    #28104

    $29.95

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    Set “B” 35 Pcs – Tray Puzzle (4)

    #27255
    $29.95
    Add to cart

    Set “B” 35 Pcs – Tray Puzzle (4)

    #27255

    $29.95

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    Double Row Wooden Card Holder

    #C27426
    $15.95
    Add to cart

    Double Row Wooden Card Holder

    #C27426

    $15.95

    Double Row Wooden Card Holder

Ivor

I offered The Tender Loving Care Doll to my 84 year-old mother who has dementia. She has been living in a long-term care facility for years and is non-verbal. But when I gave her the doll, her eyes immediately lit up and she whispered, “she’s so pretty.” Every night, she sleeps with her baby, cuddles…

Richard

These past few years, I have seen my 92 year-old mother slowly lose her autonomy. Someone recommended the Simple Music Player, and I was able to put all the songs from my mother’s youth on it. As soon as she heard the first notes, she smiled in a way that I hadn’t seen for years!…

Beverly

I am a recreational therapist in a residence. I know first-hand how important it is to find the right tools to support seniors with dementia. Every week, at least one person asks me what they can do to help their loved one get their smile back. It is always a relief for them when they…

For more products, we invite you to visit Cognitive Stimulation/Alzheimer’s category.
Sensory Stimulation / Alzheimer’s

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