Besides socialization, nutritious meals and snacks, and safety and support, your senior loved one with dementia can take advantage of mentally stimulating games and activities that boost their health at a social day program. This option can help family caregivers reduce stress and take on additional responsibilities while ensuring their loved ones remain active. Social day programs for seniors with dementia offer various cognitive activities that can keep their minds engaged.
Crafting
Using their creative side can keep your loved one’s memory and attention span active. Whether they’re painting pictures, making collages, or working on other artistic projects, your loved one can slow the progression of dementia by boosting their mental agility.
Crafting can also reduce depression by releasing serotonin in the body. Completing the projects will boost your loved one’s self-esteem and entice them to take on more artistic projects in the future, whether at the social day program or at home with family and friends. The connection to the crafts could also boost happiness, which has a great impact on an aging brain.
Dementia can be challenging for seniors to manage, but they can maintain a higher quality of life with the help of professional dementia day care provided by Companioa by Institute on Aging (IOA). Our engaging social day program for individuals with dementia features tailored cognitive activities, group exercises, social engagement, and opportunities for artistic expression in a vibrant, modern setting, and our certified dementia care staff ensures your loved one’s safety in a supportive environment.
Music
Dementia often leads to memory loss in seniors. This is because of the damage the condition does to the brain, affecting different areas that create and retrieve memories. Although memory problems become more consistent as dementia progresses, musical memory and perception can survive after other forms of cognitive function and memory have worsened.
At a social day program, some activities that may be offered are playing musical games, listening to songs, watching music-themed movies, and singing. The robust neural connections established by engaging in musical activities can enhance your loved one’s brain function, reduce agitation, and prevent negative behavior.
Even when families have the best intentions, caring for a senior loved one with dementia can be challenging. Fortunately, Companioa by IOA is here to help. Our social day program for dementia offers a modern, safe, and supportive environment while providing much-needed respite for family caregivers. We go beyond cognitive and physical care, fostering belonging and purpose that allows seniors with dementia to truly flourish with dignity and respect.
Reading
Social day programs for seniors with dementia often encourage reading activities that not only strengthen neural pathways but also create new ones. The professionals leading the programs know how to incorporate reading activities that don’t make seniors with dementia feel like they’re forgetting common places, people, objects, or words within the books, magazines, or other reading materials. Reading aloud with other older adults or professional caregivers, writing poems and short stories, and decoding games and puzzles can help your loved one with dementia avoid isolation and prevent agitation.
Aging in place can present a few challenges for seniors living with dementia. However, they can enjoy a higher quality of life when they join the supportive community at Companioa by IOA’s day care center for dementia, where individuals with dementia can thrive. With support from our specially trained and certified dementia care staff, seniors with dementia can discover joy, companionship, and a revived sense of connection. Our dedicated staff provides mental and social stimulation, daily group exercises, opportunities for artistic expression, fresh homemade meals, and personalized assistance in a modern, safe environment. Call one of our friendly Connect Specialists today at (415) 750-4111 to learn more about our customized social day program.