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I just googled your question and this is what I found.

Sensory books

Stuffed toys

Pet therapy

Hand massage

Physical contact - brush hair, hold hands

Photo albums

Sensory bean bags

Music and movies

Scent stimulation - diffuser in room

Bird watching

Sunshine and fresh air

Matching colors

Read aloud

Sight stimulation - posters, plants, photographs

Sports - watch a game


I don’t know if any posters have tried any of these. I’m sure they will let you know if these are good ideas or not.

Some of these don’t sound very practical, like fresh air and sunshine! Unless the facility has a safe outdoor space for late dementia patients.
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Tim2013Lisa2013 Jul 2023
Great list! Taking a screenshot to keep reminding me to try these things with Mom.
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It depends on what the person wants/likes.
If I look at NeedHelpWithMom's answer (and it is a very good one) I can tell you that
My Husband would have chewed on the books
He did like stuffed toys but I had to give him baby teething toys
We have animals, he tolerated them but had a preference for 1 and I would put one on his bed and she would settle down and he would pet her.
He loved holding hands.
No interest in Photos, Music, singing
I could go on but you get the idea
Each person is different so find something your loved one likes and enjoy that time.
Keep in mind that you do need to keep an eye on them. As I said my Husband would have chewed books,. he chewed blocks, cards, I could not give him crayons unless I was right there with him.
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Tim2013Lisa2013 Jul 2023
Thank you and God bless you for taking care of your husband and even taking the extra time to know what works for him.
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Sensory books are great. They're kind of like toddler busy books, with different textures and sounds and bright images. In fact, I've brought in some of my grandson's books for this purpose. In late stages of AD, "worried hands" are a symptom, and this is soothing.

If you can take a walk, that's always great, too. Fresh air, a little nature…and if not, having a plant nearby is the next best thing. Therapy animals are fantastic. So are realistic stuffed animals (there's a model of a cat that purrs and seems to breathe).

I've also found reading aloud, playing music from their youth and just talking about things that might have happened during that time are helpful. In many cases I've volunteered in, the patient is nonverbal but awake, so I talk about things like, "I remember how my grandmother loved watching / baked this type of cake / did the jitterbug," or "My grandfather served in the South Pacific, and he…" etc. Or, "I remember hearing how people would dress up to travel," and then talk about the clothes, the train cars, stuff like that. I can tell by their expressions when they like the conversation.

Hope this helps.
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Tim2013Lisa2013 Jul 2023
Thank you, it does help! Stress can make us forget things, ourselves. This reminds me my Mom loves my soft, decorative pillows.
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TV is actually a great pastime. My mom loved to watch Elvis movies all day long. Other things too. I'm not sure that in her later days she understood what she was seeing, but the moving shapes seemed to keep her engaged.
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Tim2013Lisa2013 Jul 2023
Thank you for your advice!
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Funny animal videos on YouTube

Disney or Pixar movies: Up, Moana, Ice Age (none with too much scary stuff in it, ones that move slower, ones with music). My Aunt loved to read the closed captions. Or old movies like Singing in the Rain or Oklahoma.

If physically able, folding a stack of kitchen towels or sorting colorful things like poker chips, or sorting plastic utensils.
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My 68 year old wife is about a 6C on the FAST scale. She lives with me at home and I've tried everything to engage her with some type of interest/activity. There are a few things that worked best for us, and, of course, may not work for everyone. The best thing was the 24 Inch Anano Silicone baby doll with hand drawn veins for dementia patients. They're available on Amazon and look very real. They even have the weight to them that a baby that age would have. My wife will play with it and talk to it as if were real. It seems to make her happy, even if for a few minutes at a time.
If you have access to YouTube, there are many channels of relaxing therapeutic music with visuals of fantasy, birds, nature scenes, or flyovers of various countries. She will actually sit relaxed for awhile and seem mesmerized.
Other channels she will watch and laugh out loud over are funny baby videos and like they say, laughter is the best medicine.
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Hi!
I have an entire ‘toy box’ for my husband. I buy sensory books/toys from Amazon. Or search for autism toys for children. My husband likes to be busy with his hands and is comforted by holding onto things. Even items like a bath towel, piece of clothing, etc. brings him comfort. I give him the junk mail to mangle.
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Tim2013Lisa2013: Perhaps television would be good for this person.
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