Dementia and alzheimer's
patients need entertainment too

Now that, we understand what is going on mentally with the residents of the facility that we are going to entertain in, how do we approach them?

Keep it simple for starters. Members of his group can be easily agitated and confused.

The thing that works best for song choice are the old ones that they knew when they were young, so old time sing-a-longs are the best.

I like to use their names often during the show to "wake them up".

I mean that sometimes I literally have to arouse them from sleep. The best entertainers have had dementia residents fall asleep 5 feet away from them during the height of the excitement of a show.

The more that you can get them to interact and clap hands or sing a chorus or dance, the better.