The Creative Dementia Care Strategy You Need to Try

Improv is one creative dementia care strategy that can be both effective and fun.

Creativity, adaptability, and a healthy dose of lighthearted fun are some of the top ingredients to healthy and effective dementia care. It stands to reason then that a spontaneous activity like improvisation is a great way to connect and engage with someone struggling with cognitive challenges. Not only does it allow you to pivot and embrace unexpected plot twists, but this creative dementia care tactic helps you to learn more about the person in your care.

So, How Does Improv in Dementia Care Work?

The goal of improv in dementia care is to meet the person in their reality and to provide them with opportunities to express themselves in whatever way is natural and comfortable. It’s about creating an environment where the person is heard, respected, and never corrected. It requires more listening than talking, and accepting any thoughts or feelings the person wants to share.

Here are a couple of improv activity ideas to try. Once you have an idea of how it works, the sky is the limit! Use your own creativity and knowledge of the person you’re caring for to develop ideas that will work best for you.

• “Yes, and…”: This is a simple but incredibly important technique to incorporate throughout all of your interactions with someone with dementia. It’s the opposite of the all-too common, “No, but…” we may be tempted to use to correct something we know to be untrue. Instead, if the senior with dementia says, “I need to bake cupcakes today for my daughter to take to school!” an appropriate response would be, “Yes, and tell me more about what’s going on at school today.” Your goal is to agree with the person and encourage them to keep the conversation going.
• Picnic: In this activity, you’re going to imagine you’re packing a picnic basket with items that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Adjust it accordingly based on the person’s ability level. And of course, any item they mention, whether it begins with the correct letter or not, is acceptable.
• What’s in the box?: Pretend you’re holding a box (or use a real, empty box). Mimic opening the box and peeking inside. Hand the box to the senior and ask what they would choose to put into the box. You can use the “Yes, and…” prompt to encourage them to tell you more. Or, ask them to hand you back the box, and you make up what you think should go inside. Take turns passing back and forth as long as the person is engaged and interested.

Our dementia care team has plenty of innovative ideas to make each day the best it can be for those we serve. Call us at (866) 940-4343 to request a free in-home consultation to learn more about our dementia care services in Petaluma, San Rafael, Novato, and throughout the Bay Area.

Improv in Dementia Care