Connecting Mind and Memory Through Meaningful Activity

When someone is living with dementia, engaging in the right activities can do more than fill time—it can actively support cognitive functioning while helping preserve memories. These activities stimulate the brain, offer emotional comfort, and serve as powerful opportunities to record and reflect on a person’s life.

According to Dementia Australia, regular, structured activities can help maintain independence and provide vital connections to past experiences.

Why Activity Matters in Legacy Work

Every activity is a chance to capture a story, spark a conversation, or reconnect with a sense of self. By choosing intentional activities, families and carers can integrate legacy preservation into daily routines—without adding pressure.

Whether it’s drawing, cooking, singing, or gardening, activities allow people with dementia to express who they are and pass that expression on to others.

Tools like Evaheld help document these moments in a safe, simple, and meaningful way.

Choosing the Right Activities

1. Reminiscence Therapy

Using personal photos, songs, or sensory objects to trigger memories and conversation.

• Ask open-ended questions
• Record responses on the Evaheld Legacy Vault
• Involve family members for richer engagement

2. Art and Creative Expression

Activities such as:

• Watercolour painting
• Clay sculpting
• Collage building

Allow for freedom of expression and serve as visual memory markers. These can be scanned and uploaded for safekeeping.

3. Music-Based Activities

Singing, listening to familiar songs, or playing instruments stimulates areas of the brain linked to long-term memory.

Family Legacy Series encourages using music to access meaningful reflections and capture emotional legacy.

4. Life Story Scrapbooking

Build timelines of key life moments. Use:

• Family photos
• Short captions
• Recorded audio clips or written reflections

This can also help guide future care by reinforcing identity and preferences.

Activities That Stimulate Cognitive Pathways

Puzzles and Word Games

Crosswords, word association, and matching games encourage cognitive engagement.

Incorporate themes from the person’s life story: names, places, or hobbies.

Cooking and Baking

Familiar recipes stimulate multiple senses. Encourage the individual to:

• Share memories tied to food
• Record their voice describing a recipe
• Pass down techniques using tools like Evaheld

Articles on the Online Will Blog explore how family recipes often become treasured legacy items.

Gardening

From planting herbs to arranging flowers, outdoor activities support routine and recall. Link specific plants or seasons to memories for deeper engagement.

Gardening photos, stories, and favourite rituals can be uploaded to Evaheld Legacy Vault.

Tailoring Activities to the Individual

Advance Care Planning Australia encourages aligning activities with a person’s interests, energy levels, and cognitive capacity.

Adapt the activity:

• Reduce complexity if needed
• Use visual instructions
• Provide support and reassurance

For example, someone who once loved writing novels may now prefer narrating short stories aloud for others to transcribe.

Advance Health Directive tools can include notes on legacy activities to ensure they're honoured in care settings.

Supporting Emotional Wellbeing

Activities that support cognitive function also benefit emotional health by:

• Reducing anxiety and agitation
• Increasing self-esteem
• Encouraging positive social interaction
• Helping maintain purpose and identity

The Evaheld blog regularly features real-life stories showing how creative activity enhances peace of mind.

For Carers and the Sandwich Generation

Balancing care with work and children is tough. These activities can double as:

• Family bonding time
• Memory preservation
• A way for grandchildren to connect with their loved one

Try:

• Joint art projects
• Storytime with grandchildren asking guided questions
• Cooking together with a family favourite recipe

Resources from Dementia Support Australia and Nurse Info support carers in finding time and tools that are realistic and restorative.

Capturing and Storing the Results

Every meaningful interaction can become part of a digital legacy:

• Record audio clips during conversations
• Take photos of projects and upload to Evaheld Legacy Vault
• Use journaling templates from the Family Legacy Series to summarise what was shared or felt

Always keep backup copies using secure, password-protected folders and ensure access is available to power of attorney holders or guardians.

Combining Activity and Care Planning

Many activities reveal deeper values:

• A gardening session may show a preference for being outdoors in future care
• A recipe might highlight dietary or cultural needs
• A poem may reveal spiritual beliefs or emotional priorities

These insights should be stored alongside care documentation to inform holistic decisions in later stages.

Link content to Advance Care Planning Australia files or reference preferences in the Advance Health Directive.

Adapting Over Time

As dementia progresses:

• Reduce duration of sessions
• Focus on sensory engagement
• Use images or music to prompt memories instead of open-ended questions
• Reinforce previously recorded legacy content

Routine revisiting of stored content can bring joy and a sense of consistency. Many families on the Online Will Blog share how revisiting legacy recordings supports connection even in the final stages.

Final Thoughts

Meaningful activities nourish both memory and connection. When chosen with care and adapted thoughtfully, they become bridges between generations—capturing laughter, love, and legacy.

Legacy work doesn’t need to be complicated. A song, a story, a painting, or a shared moment can become a cherished heirloom when preserved with intention.