​

DEMENTIA ACTIVITES

​​

• COVID Drive-bys & Drive-ways - Many of the activities listed

     below won't be available agin until we have a vaccine. In the 

     meantime we're getting our social fix through drive-way

     get-togethers! When the weather goes winter, we'll resort

     to drive-bys. (Post: Driveway Dementia)

​

• Community/Senior Centers - Awesome resources for

     senior social activities, senior-centered exercise classes,

     dementia and bereavement support groups.

     (Post: Demention the go, go, GO!)

​

• Community Newspapers - Look for an events listing section

     for a great place to find local, affordable arts and community

     events suitable to your care partner's interest. (Post: Dementiaon the go, go, GO!)

​

• Local Colleges - The performance arts departments of local/community colleges are a wonderful and affordable way to see live music and theatre with your care partner. 

     (Post: Demention the go, go, GO!)

​

• Children - Old people love kids! Without being creepy (or be creepy - what do I care?), spend a little time at a playground park with your care partner watching kids tumble up and tumble down. Or attend children's theatre performances, or visit a children's museum. (Post: Demention the go, go, GO!)

​

• Movies - Tough for some, but our Mom is more content sitting through a movie in a theatre then a commercial on the TV at home. Give it a try! (Posts: Dementia Oscars!,Dementia Oscars: Mission (almost) Impossible, and Back in business.)

​

• Airports - Pack a lunch and find a good place to watch planes take off and land. At PDX, it's any of the Cascade Station's parking lots - the planes fly right over! And Mom can stay in her nice, warm van and ooh and ahh over the spectacle while enjoying a milkshake.

​

• Opening Minds through Art - An international, intergenerational art-making program for creative self-expression and social engagement for people with dementia. OMA is offered at Rose Villa in the Portland metro area. Contact Marianna Jones for more information. (Post: The Greatest Dementia Activity EVER!, First day of art Class!, OMA Art Show!)

​

• artNOW (Portland, OR) - A collaboration between the Portland Art Museum and our the Oregon and SW Washington Alzheimer's Association, artNOW is a museum tour specifically designed for dementia people and their care partners. Check with your local museum or Alzheimer Association to see if a similar program is offered in your area. (Post: I found my heart at artNOW.)

​

• Memories in the Making & Sing Here Now (Portland, OR) - Both for early to mid-stages dementia folks, another fine-arts creation program for dementia people, and a dementia choir! Both offered by the Oregon and SW Washington Alzheimer's Association. Mom is too advanced for us to have tried either but they sound fantastic. Check with your local Alzheimer Association to see if a similar program is offered in your area.

​

• Local Alzheimer's Association - See what dementia-active programs are available for you and your care partner in your area. Find your local chapter here.

​

• All Classical Portland 89.9 (Portland, OR) - Our local classical station has a wonderful events calendar which I consult every week for affordable music outings. Not only that, they have a free community performance in house every week (Thursdays @ Three). Check with your local community funded radio station for similar resources. (Post: Dementia on the go, go, GO! and There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.)

​​

• Urban Excursions (Portland, OR) - Urban Excursions offers door-to-door social adventures for seniors, accommodating varying levels of mobility and cognition. Excursions include museums, historic home tours, arts centers and more with single excursion and multi-excursion packages for purchase. How cool is that! You can also inquire on licensing to offer Urban Excursions in your community! (Post: I've been meaning to tell you...)

​

• My Life Films (United Kingdom) - My Life Films is a collection of passionate filmmakers who believe in the power of one's own story to positively transform the well-being of folks living with dementia. The process of creating this personal documentary from start to finish is a wonderful way to involve family and friends in your dementia person's life and it's totally FREE! Based in the U.K., they are working on new services accessible beyond their geographic reach such as a mobile app featuring their format so anyone can make a short Life Story for their dementia folks. (Post: I've been meaning to tell you...)

​