7 Ideas for Spending Time With a Loved One Who Has Dementia

One of the hardest parts of visiting a loved one with dementia is knowing what to do once you’re there.

There isn’t one right way to spend time with someone who is living with dementia. This article offers a few ideas to help you approach visits with more confidence and care.

Ideas For Visiting a Dementia Care Home

Let’s look at this in more detail. Not every visit will look the same, depending on how your loved one is feeling that day. As we all know, dementia is a disease that is unpredictable and what works one day may not the next. Try and stay flexible when organising activities and take your cues from them.

The ideas below can be adapted to fit how they are on the day.

1. Look through old photos, but don’t test their memory

Photo albums or loose prints can be a good starting point. Let them handle the pictures if they like. Talk about the images in a relaxed way, such as “That was your garden” rather than “Do you remember this?” You don’t need to ask questions or check what they remember, just let them take in the photos in their own way.

2. Listen to the music they know

When it comes to dementia, music cuts through when words no longer do. Choose songs from their younger years or tunes they’ve always enjoyed. Watch their reaction as they may hum, tap a hand or settle and relax. You don’t need to fill the space with talk.

3. Go for a short walk

If they can, a brief walk, even along a care home corridor or in a garden will help with restlessness and lift their mood. Keep it slow, and be ready to turn back if they tire.

4. Share a simple task

Folding towels, pairing socks, brushing a pet or arranging some flowers can give your loved one something familiar to do with their hands. Keep it as simple as possible and let them take part in whatever way feels natural and easy.

5. Watch something familiar

A gentle TV programme, an old film, especially nature videos can provide a shared focus. Don’t worry if they drift in and out, the comfort the feel is in the shared moment not in following every detail.

6. Offer quiet companionship

Unfortunately there will be some days when doing any activity may feel too much. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to visit the care home. Sitting quietly together, holding a hand in a soothing way and being present is just as meaningful as any planned interaction.

7. Respond to their mood, not your plan

Above all, be ready to adjust. If they show interest in something, an object, a sound or a piece of clothing, give them time with it. and let them explore it in their own way, without rushing to move on. If they seem tired, restless or unsure, it’s fine to pause and sit together for a while. The visit isn’t about getting through set activities and filling the time. You can meet them where they are allow the visit unfold around that.

Simple Activities for Residents With Dementia

Many family members worry they must plan activities to keep their loved ones engaged during a visit. In reality, dementia can make complex tasks tiring or confusing. Simple activities are easier to manage and often much more meaningful.

It’s familiar sounds, objects and routines that help someone with dementia settle and regulate because these small moments can prompt a sense of comfort, even if words or memories are out of reach. A song they know, the feel of folded fabric or time spent sitting together quietly may give more reassurance than any structured activity.

There will be times when they aren’t interested in doing anything. It’s fine to let the visit be quiet because, often, that’s what they need most.

There Is No Right Way to Visit

So, as you can see, spending time with a loved one who has dementia often means letting go of the plans you wanted to do and expectations around them. Each visit will massively depend on how they are on that day. Simple activities they can partake in and a steady presence still bring comfort, even when words or memories fade. Being there for them is what matters.