7 Ideas to Intellectually Stimulate People with Dementia

Too often as we age, our world gets a little smaller—due to mobility challenges, health issues, or cognitive decline. Holistic quality of life activities can reconnect older adults to what brings them purpose, joy, and meaning in life—and they include seven domains of wellness: physical, spiritual, creative, vocational, emotional, environment, and intellectual. 

At The Hummingbird Project, we create and deliver products and services that foster holistic quality of life and help older adults—including those living with dementia—engage curiosity, foster personal expression, and create joyful moments. Many professional and family caregivers and the older adults they work with have found inspiration in our Joyful Moments Activity Cards, with beautifully depicted activities that cover all seven domains of wellness.

If you’re interested specifically in stimulating intellectual wellness in your client or loved one, our Hummingbird Activity Specialists have shared seven simple ideas below. Activities that promote intellectual quality of life go beyond repetitive “brain training.” They encourage mental stimulation and deeper engagement, such as visits to museums, reading interesting books or articles, and exploring a new hobby. These activities can be adapted for any cognitive limitations and should be personalized to your activity partner’s specific interests.

As you and your activity partner embark on these fun activities, be sure to focus on the positive—what your partner can do.

1.  Revisit Professional or Academic Interests

At one point in his education, retired lawyer and Hummingbird client Jack focused on Constitutional Law. To tap into Jack’s expertise and support his self-esteem, his Activity Specialist found a list of the Most Influential Supreme Court Cases online. They read through the descriptions and stopped after each case to discuss whether Jack felt it was worthy of making the list. He concurred with most of them but felt a few more important rulings were missing. Together, they created a list of those missing rulings, which will be utilized in future sessions. Exploring the cases more deeply will further nurture Jack’s intellectual well-being and sense of identity as a lawyer.

Use your activity partner’s past career or academic pursuits to find a specific topic, article, or list online you can read and discuss together. Be sure to ask questions and listen intently to their answers. The most important thing is for your activity partner to feel seen and heard, especially around a topic in which they’ve enjoyed expertise.

2.  Indulge in Bird Watching

Bird watching is a simple and fun activity for animal lovers and birders alike. Your activity partner may have birds right outside their door, or perhaps this is an opportunity to take a drive to an area where wildlife can be seen. See where the conversation leads as you talk with your activity partner about what you notice. Are there birds in the water? How many different bird calls can you hear? Can you recognize the kinds of birds? 

Seasonally, you may notice migratory birds in the area, and this can organically lead to conversations about migration and your observations. Take it a step further by watching a well-known nature film such as Fly Away Home or Winged Migration to further evoke mentally stimulating dialogue.

There are many books on bird calls and bird identification that can lead to future activities of interest and inspiration!

3.  Watch the Clouds Go By

Engaging in outdoor activities relaxes the mind, calms the body, and restores the soul. Take advantage of beautiful weather to engage in cloud watching and nature strolls. By taking a walk together, you can both relax while enjoying the beautiful change of scenery. Look up at the sky and use this intellectual and creative opportunity to identify shapes and figures forming in the clouds above. Observe and describe the world around you, or simply relax and watch them float by. 

Remember, intellectual wellness is just one of seven domains of holistic quality of life, and every domain is connected. You can also take this as an opportunity to engage in a religious or spiritual practice with your activity partner. Or take a few deep breaths together and provide some emotional wellness. 

4.  Make DIY Art Conversation Cards

Here’s an idea that works well in person or if your client or loved one is far away: Make artful conversation cards using beautiful photo imagery and thoughtful questions to inspire your activity partner. Use the following simple supplies: magazine, calendar or large colored images, colored paper, scissors, and glue (markers or stickers optional). Fold the colored paper in half to create your card. Then glue your chosen image to the card and add printed questions and logos to ignite intellectual and creative thinking about the image or images! 

Examples of printed questions include:

For a picture of a bird: How would you describe the bird? What would you name it?

For a photo of a landscape or scenery: How would you describe the sky and the background? What would you name this photo? Does a scene like this look inviting to you? Or familiar?

For images of famous paintings: What do you see in this painting? How does this painting make you feel? Can you imagine being there?

Feel free to add stickers or anything else to make the card as personal as you’d like. 

If you don’t live near your activity partner, mail the card then try calling them to enjoy a fun conversation about your card and each question. Being physically separated does not mean the joyful connections need to stop!

5.  Fresh Air and Friendship

If your activity partner lives at home or in a care community with a yard, a daily or semi-regular walk around the yard will provide intellectual stimulation with a different atmosphere, fresh air, and time to reflect. Observe the garden, smell the flowers, and watch wildlife together. Talk about what you see, hear, touch, and smell. Enjoy a snack on the picnic table, cut flowers to take inside, and most importantly, breathe the fresh air!

6.  Talk About Trees

Nature plays a fundamental part in all our lives, trees in particular. When anxiety is running high, try taking a moment to contemplate our relationship with nature by reflecting on trees we have known and loved. Start an in-depth conversation with your activity partner about a tree that is special to them. Maybe one they grew up with or one they currently enjoy. Talk about that tree’s attributes in detail. What does it like about it? Is it a provider of shade? Is it strong? Does it flower? Then, ask your partner to contemplate whether they share any of the attributes of that tree. How are they a provider? How are they strong?  How do they flower? By helping them to own these qualities, they will experience a calming connection with the natural world. You can even follow up with a drawing of the tree, which will serve as a metaphor enhancing this sense of well-being for days to come.

7.  Observe Art and Talk About How It Makes You Feel

The strong emotions captured by Berthe Morisot in The Cradle can touch many people. Several Hummingbird clients in a group activity session shared what they felt might be on the young mother’s mind while she’s watching her new baby. When the painting was shown to another Hummingbird client, Keith, he was clearly emotional and shared, “I really don’t understand that picture. But I am amazed at my reaction. Emotionally, it is very strong between those two. It really hit me. I’m an old Marine, and, boy, it is hard to hit me.” Taking out his handkerchief, Keith dabbed his eyes, touched spiritually by the connection between the mother and child in the painting.

Exploring artwork together and giving voice to how it makes us feel—either in person or virtually over Zoom or FaceTime—offers ways to stay inspired, connected, and intellectually engaged.

Learn more about the effect of music on memory in this blog, Music Therapy for Older Adults. 

Check out our Joyful Moments Activity Kit here – for an invaluable resource to help engage older adults through a variety of activities. 

 

About the Author

Kari Rogenski, LMFT, is the Director of The Hummingbird Project, a concierge in-person and virtual therapeutic activity program. Kari is a licensed psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Humanistic Psychology at Saybrook University, where she studies creativity and gerontology. Follow Kari on Linkedin.