An Alzheimer’s diagnosis can bring questions about more than medical care. Families also wonder what to do together, how to keep conversations going, and how to support someone’s individuality as their needs change.
At Resilia Life, we begin with the person: their interests, abilities, choices, and opportunities to contribute. The arts provide many starting points for that connection.
Here are eight questions to help you approach everyday engagement with greater confidence.
Alzheimer’s disease can affect memory, thinking, communication, and the ability to carry out everyday tasks. The support someone needs will change over time. A healthcare professional can help families understand those changes and discuss care and treatment options.
For a brief explanation of the terminology, read our article on the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia.
When planning time together, look at what is happening today. What interests the person? What feels manageable? Where would assistance help them take part?
Yes. Participation can take many forms, and experiences can be adapted to the person’s interests and abilities. The National Institute on Aging recommends adjusting activities as needs change and allowing people to do as much as possible themselves.
Someone might choose colors, discuss an image, arrange materials, make marks, or contribute an idea. Another person may prefer to watch before deciding whether to join.
Begin with an invitation and pay attention to the response. Participation works best when there is room for choice, assistance, and a change of direction.
Give yourselves something to explore.
A painting provides a shared focus. You can notice a detail, compare colors, wonder about a scene, or simply spend time looking together.
Try observations and invitations such as:
“That blue catches my eye.”
“What do you notice?”
“Which part would you like to look at more closely?”
Allow time for a response. Words, gestures, facial expressions, and choices can all help guide the experience.
Resilia Life’s See, Say, More method offers a starting point for looking at art and exploring what it invites people to notice and express.
Personal stories can be meaningful, but they are one of many ways to engage.
An experience can also invite someone to respond to the present: choose an image, explore a texture, express a preference, or create something new.
When sharing stories, make room for what the person wants to offer without turning the conversation into a test of names and dates.
Legacy Chronicles provides guided opportunities to explore experiences, relationships, interests, and identity. Families can follow the participant’s lead and offer support where needed.
Offer enough support to make participation possible while preserving opportunities for the person to act and decide.
You might organize the workspace, demonstrate a step, steady a surface, or offer two materials to choose from. Then pause to see what the person wants to do.
Ask before taking over. “Would you like help with that?” leaves room for a choice.
Notice whether the experience feels inviting or frustrating. Simplify a step, try another approach, or return another time when needed.
The participant’s choices should have room to shape the result.
An unexpected color, an uneven line, or a different arrangement can be part of someone’s expression. Before correcting or changing the work, consider whether help is needed—or whether the person is making a choice of their own.
Ask about what they created. Offer the opportunity to keep, display, or share it.
Life Still combines guided art-making activities with materials and a portfolio for collecting original work. It gives creativity somewhere to grow, one experience at a time.
At Resilia Life, strengthening resilience means creating opportunities to use abilities, express feelings, make choices, connect with others, and find ways to participate as circumstances change.
During an arts experience, that might mean trying a different tool, communicating a preference, accepting assistance, or discovering another way to contribute.
Our aim is to make these opportunities part of everyday living. The Art Effect explains the dimensions we look for when we put art to work: engaged minds, personal expression, recognized worth, shared connection, and purposeful participation.
Choose one experience that connects with the person’s interests and feels manageable for both of you.
Look at an artwork together. Explore a guided project. Set out a few materials and offer an invitation.
You do not need to plan an entire afternoon. Allow the person’s interest, energy, and response to help shape what happens next.
Resilia at Home introduces resources for families and care partners, including guided projects and creative activities you can explore together.
For questions about diagnosis, treatment, or changes in symptoms, the National Institute on Aging provides medical information and caregiver resources.
For everyday creative engagement, begin with the person—and something worth exploring together.
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