Patriotic Activities for Dementia
Honoring our country is an activity that can be done anytime of year. Images of the US flag and patriotic songs are strong memories for many people with dementia. Here are some specific ideas you can do for people at different stages of dementia.
Early Stage Dementia
-Pick a letter. Try to think of President's names that begin with that letter. Example, R for Reagan and Roosevelt.-Have the person decorate a flag cake, following the picture below as a sample.
-Fill in the blank to lines of common patriotic songs
Middle Stage Dementia
-Sort red, white, and blue items by color. For example, colored M and M's, paper plates, buttons, or poker chips. -Recite the pledge of allegiance
-Fill in the blank with Patriotic songs. Yankee Doodle went to _______.
-Decorate the cake (pictured above) above, step by step. Draw a 'line' with a colored tube of decorating gel to outline the blue section. Then have the person fill in with blueberries. Do the same for the lines of raspberries, one at a time.
Late Stage Dementia
-Move red, white, and blue pinwheels or wind socks for visual stimulation for the person.-Play patriotic songs on a CD player. Sousa marches, such as Stars and Stripes Forever, are good for marching feet or tapping hands to.
All Stages of Dementia
Have a sing-a-long of familiar patriotic songs. Use our Celebrating America picture songbooks to recall the lyrics and to view iconic photos of American landmarks and history. Add on the digital eBook version, which includes piano accompaniment, to be able to use the book on portable electronic devices and laptops (requires internet).
