What Kinds of Activities Do Memory Care Residents Enjoy?

For seniors living with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, memory care programs like the one at the Mission at Agua Fria offer many helpful therapies that can slow memory loss, lower anxiety, decrease the need for medication, and encourage wellness. Offering a mix of sensory integration, art, music, and pet therapy along with delicious meals, an exercise program, opportunities to socialize, and more, memory care in Arizona provides families with an excellent resource to help their loved ones thrive.

We offer a wide range of daily classes and activities and adapt our programming to the needs and preferences of our residents. Memory care should focus on comfort and stimulation. The following are descriptions of some of the options memory care residents can choose from at Mission at Agua Fria:

Arts and Crafts

Many of our memory care residents enjoy expressing themselves creatively through crafting, painting, and drawing. Other artistic activities include:

• Molding with colored clay, which is satisfying and also provides tactile stimulation.
• Making collages with old magazines or scrapbooking with pictures, which fosters creativity and also encourages fine motor skills.
• Art workshops and classes, providing opportunities to learn new artistic skills or hone existing ones.
• Viewing famous works of art, inspiring their own creative projects.

Mental Stimulation

There are many things that can offer a memory care resident mental stimulation, like jigsaw puzzles, board games, workbooks, mazes, brain games, sudoku, and crossword puzzles. Cognitive games often combine physical and mental aspects together to make them even more fun. For example, residents might play charades or a game where they toss colored bean bags into like-colored baskets. Many residents choose to participate in all of these activities with friends, which has the added benefit of social interaction.

Music

Research from the National Institutes of Health shows that listening to familiar music can help people with dementia. Memory care programs incorporate these findings by playing music from different eras as well as hosting sing-a-longs of well-known songs like holiday carols or gospel hymns.

Other musical activities include weekly music lessons and opportunities for residents to play instruments or sing if they are so inclined. People with music in their background often discover their music-related muscle memory remains strong, and the familiarity brings a sense of comfort, accomplishment, and stimulation.

Exercise

The benefits of physical exercise on our mental well-being are well-documented. Newer research also suggests that even moderate exercise might slow cognitive decline. The Mission at Agua Fria has a state-of-the-art exercise program as well as a beautiful, enclosed outdoor courtyard where residents can take walks and spend time with friends.

Memory Care in Arizona

If you would like more information about the ways our memory care program at the Mission at Agua Fria might be the right fit for you and your loved one, please contact us or make an appointment to tour our community in person. We would love to introduce you to our caring staff and for you to see our outstanding amenities and beautiful memory care neighborhood for yourself.