Top 5 Spring Activities for Dementia Patients

Light Gardening

According to Dementia UK, light gardening can provide a great way to enhance wellbeing, stating that it can positively “distract, engage, add to routines and be a focus for physical activity”. Encouraging gentle activity, gardening stimulates all the senses and evokes familiarity and purpose. If you are looking to try gardening this spring, look for accessible tasks like replanting, weeding, watering or pruning. If you don’t have a garden, you can also compromise and consider buying a few potted plants to place on windowsills or path borders to add features that are both interactive and beautiful. As an added advantage, spring flowers will also help local pollinators, whose springtime activities also provide something fun to watch.

Nature-Themed Arts and Crafts

Studies have repeatedly shown that quality time in the great outdoors is good for all of us. For dementia patients, outdoor activity and a connection with nature can prove especially beneficial. From helping to improve sleep to reducing anxiety to boosting appetite, it can have all sorts of advantages for mental and physical wellbeing. Some of the best spring activities for dementia patients, nature-themed arts and crafts can provide a great focus and sense of achievement whilst reconnecting body, mind and soul with nature. Try things like painting on stones, making leaf and petal collages, or creating sensory nature boxes with natural items collected from outside – be it seashells, smooth pebbles, pretty leaves, interesting twigs or more. Other activities to try include flower pressing, eco-friendly chalk drawing outside, and sculpting with clay or wood.

Paper Flower Making

The season of spring is synonymous with new life, with the brilliant multi-coloured petals of flowers popping up in gardens, fields and hedgerows around the country. Bluebells, snowdrops, tulips, daffodils, magnolias, cherry blossoms and roses are but some of the flowers that can be seen in the UK in spring and make for great inspiration for nature-themed art. If you are considering the best spring activities for dementia patients, why not give paper flower making a go? Tailored to meet needs, this hands-on activity offers an engaging, interactive experience and lends itself to all sorts of styles and abilities. Make a paper flower bouquet, try 3D paper tissue flower kits, or use pre-cut paper petals and stick them onto coloured cards to create a seasonal celebration.

Short Nature Walk

If possible, maintaining a regular, gentle exercise routine can make a huge difference to mental and physical wellbeing. Something that can be enjoyed year-round, short nature walks are especially lovely in spring and allow dementia patients to immerse in nature and enjoy gentle activity. Depending on how far you’d like to go, short strolls along level paths can help to relieve boredom, reduce stress and anxiety, and provide an invaluable window into nature. According to Alzheimers UK, who have released a useful fact sheet about walking and dementia, the action of walking with purpose can also be hugely beneficial to dementia patients and encourage a sense of purpose and intention. Look at local routes near to you and walk with a loved one to enjoy time in nature, planning paths ahead of time to consider appropriate walking distances and settings.

Listening to Nature Sounds

Music is something that stirs the soul and resonates with people on a primal level. Nostalgic, relaxing and joyful in equal measure, it can inspire all sorts of emotions that can quiet the mind and warm the heart. In spring in the UK, the melodic sounds of nature create an especially enchanting soundtrack, chorused by the tuneful melodies of birdsong. One of the best spring activities for dementia patients, the simple pleasure of listening to sounds in nature can be a hugely positive experience. Affording powerful soundscapes that can appeal to deeper levels of consciousness and lift the spirits. Some of the best places for listening to the soothing sounds of nature include quiet, gently sloping beaches lapped by gentle waves and tranquil woodland home to different bird species.

Wisteria House Dementia Care Home

At Wisteria, we provide specialist care for people living with dementia. Rated CQC Outstanding, we believe in supporting the highest quality of life and creating a safe, comfortable and stimulating environment for all of our residents. If you would like to find out more, please do get in touch.

Please do speak to your doctor if you or a loved one are affected by or worried about the symptoms of dementia.