Dementia

Round off the series with the missing number: that’s brain gymnastics! 

Rummy playfully addresses the cognitive abilities of people in the middle stage of dementia. Guess which number is missing in the series and experience the fun of this well-known board game. No hassle with little pieces or small numbers. Everyone can take part!

Tip: It’s even more fun if there’s something to win! Set up two teams and organise a competition.

Collect the puzzle pieces and finish off the well-known location together! 

Colourful puzzle pieces fly past you on the table and fall into place once one of the players touches them. The social and recognisable activity reveals an iconic location in the Netherlands every time. From the Soestdijk palace to the Keukenhof! Travel throughout the Netherlands at your trusty table and share memories with one another.

Tip: Tulip field or the Keukenhof? Both answers lead to a chat!

Play an old-fashioned game of football inside without worrying about breaking a vase! 

A football pitch appears on the table, with a ball and two goals. Give the ball a push and try to score as many goalsas possible! This game challenges people in the early to middle stages of dementia with a clear purpose. The ball will stop moving if nobody touches it, so large movements and collaboration are required. Just like before!

Tip:Project the image on the floor and use your legs to play. Just like the real thing!

Freely associate and create a set of two objects that belong together. That’s how you complete the hobbies. 

In the middle of the table an object appears that has to do with hobbies and activities in and around the house.The players choose a logical combination from several pictures. A watering can belongs to … a pot plant! This way, people in the early to middle stages of dementia are cognitively challenged and there’s a social stimulus to start a conversation.

Tip: Pause and get to know each other. Does anybody have this hobby?

Guess the letters missing from the words and playfully practice language skills. 

With this game players in the early to middle stages of dementia practice their language skills. On the table, common, recognizable five-letter words appear, with one letter missing. Which letter are we looking for? The players guess together and choose one of the options. When the correct letter is touched, players receive a visual and musical reward.

Tip: Choose the guessed word as a conversation starter and share memories or associations.

Reveal musical pieces together by touching as many musical notes as possible. 

The Musical Score game encourages players to make music together. Musical notes are dancing across the table! When players touch the notes, a familiar melody is played. This gives them the sense of making the music themselves without any false notes. Play, sing or hum: everyone can participate. It’s sociable and fun!

Tip: Place both hands on the musical score and play it like a piano.

Let the outdoors in and feed the birds that land on the table.

Roll the fat balls around and spread the bird feed across the table. Through the pleasant auditory sensation of twittering birds, this game evokes memories of times gone by. Even better: the birds aren’t skittish! If you’re careful, the birds will sit still and even let you pet them.

Tip: For an extra playful touch, spread the seeds across the table with your hands.

Sing along to songs from the residents’ childhood.

People who can no longer speak too well can often still sing or hum. Use the remote to choose a song or let the record player automatically choose a nice tune for you. The game activates
the players and fills the room with a cheerful atmosphere and stimulates social interaction.

Tip: If there are many residents in the same room, use this game as a musical activity.

Wind the key by collecting music notes and enjoy the music.

All the music notes dropped from the music box. Gather them from the table and complete the piece of music. This game is relaxing and evokes beautiful memories. One person can touch the notes while others can enjoy the calming images and recognisable classic tunes: everyone can join in!

Tip: Try to hum along with the music. Does someone recognise the fragments?

Three colourful kites dance across the table and will twist and turn once you touch them. Be amazed by the riveting spectacle. 

The game Kites creates a relaxing atmosphere in the room. The lively colours and zooming sounds really invite the players to move. The kites respond both to small and large intuitive movements and continually change the pattern they make across the table. Be amazed!

Tip: Use a fan to mimic the wind outside.

With this game you can play outside, inside! Get the tops to spin and pass them across the table. 

Do the residents still remember how the tops used to sound when they bumped into each other on the street? This game breathes new life into a nostalgic activity. The coloured ‘wooden’ spinning tops elicit physical activity and respond to even the lightest touch. Everyone can join in.

Tip: Try to pass the spinning tops to each other before they stop spinning.

Make the stars floating across the table make music by touching them. A fast player may even catch a comet!

The relaxing Space game works like a sort of music box and is full of little surprises. When the older people touch the stars, they play a melody. Occasionally a star explodes! This motivates the players to keep touching the stars.

Tip: Did you spot a falling star? Make a wish for someone sitting at the table!

Pop the paintballs and create a masterpiece! The more balls you pop, the closer you get to the real thing.

During the Masterpieces game, the players ‘paint’ landscapes and portraits of animals, without real paint being involved. The game has a high wow factor and gives immediate results. As more of the painting is continually revealed, the game keeps people’s attention.

Tip: Who will be the first to guess the scene being painted?

Put all the puzzle pieces together and make the puzzle complete. The puzzles contain nostalgic images from the past.

The Nostalgia Puzzle game helps older people on the dementia journey to do a familiar action that no longer comes automatically to them. When the players ‘take’ the pieces, they move into the right place themselves. The games are as fun for the older people as they are for the grandchildren that come to visit them!

Tip: Ask the residents what they remember about the nostalgic items on the puzzles.

Give the beach ball a push and knock it back to your fellow players!

From when we were children, we have thrown balls to each other, and for older people with dementia this is a familiar action. The Beach Ball game leads to lots of social interaction and the players have a shared focus: the beach ball. The ball cannot fall off the table, as it bounces off the edges. So, nothing can ever go wrong!

Tip: Place inflatable goals on the table for an additional challenge.

Pop the soap bubbles with your finger, one by one, or use your arms to pop several of them at once. 

The Soap Bubbles game stimulates lots of movement and also has a relaxing effect through the supporting sound. The clients enjoy popping the bubbles and the game makes them alert. Create more bubbles by touching the spinning wheel in the centre of the table.

Tip: From time to time, use a real bubble blower together with this game.

Butterflies flutter across the table. Let them sit on your hand or push them towards your fellow players.

The Butterflies game brings a relaxed atmosphere to the room. Furthermore, the game has a very social character as the various butterflies spark conversation at the table. The butterflies attract attention and stimulate movement.

Tip: Use a butterfly net to catch the colourful butterflies.

From ‘Mary had a little lamb’’ to ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star’: complete familiar rhymes. Together you remember more!

Rhymes and songs from the past are stored in our long-term memory. That makes this game suitable for people at different stages of the dementia journey. Little by little, familiar rhymes appear on the table. Everyone uses their own qualities. One person can read the sentence aloud, while others can finish the sentences or sing along.

Tip: Give a full-throated rendition of the rhyme and discover who can still sing along.

Transform the table into a well-filled pond and try to catch the fishes!

The Fishes game has an enchanting effect on the players, because nature is brought inside. Between the water lilies, fishes swim from one player to another. The game invites players to make big arm movements, but it is not a requirement: the Tovertafel also reacts to small finger movements!

Tip: Give the players a fishing net to catch the fish.

Touch the floating rings to see the first part of a famous saying. Try to complete the saying together!

The Sayings game has a cognitive goal and works with the players’ long-term memory. But for those for whom the saying is not on the tip of their tongue, the game is also fun: if you touch the floating rings, a new part of the saying is revealed!

Tip: Try to finish the sayings before the next part appears on the table.

Be surprised by the beautiful flowers covering the table. You can leave them to grow by themselves!

The Flowers game fascinates the players through the intense colours and the joyful atmosphere of the light projections. The older people enjoy the flowers that they can make bigger by touching with their hands. Moreover, the game has a strong social character, as it provides lots of topics of conversation.

Tip: Ask the players about their favourite flowers. Did they used to have a garden?

A breeze covers the table with leaves. Brush them off, together or alone. Many hands make light work!

The Leaves game invites players to make big hand and arm movements. The game brings back memories of walking on the garden path. Brushing away leaves is a natural action for the older people that quickly happens automatically. Ladybirds between the leaves ensure that attention stays with the game.

Tip: Use a dustpan and brush to gather the leaves.