Busy Boards for Dementia Patients - Features, Benefits, & Making Tips

Busy Boards to Engage and Calm Those With Dementia

Busy boards provide meaningful activity for dementia patients while helping to reduce anxious behaviors. The simple sensory and fine motor activities allow patients to engage their hands and mind through familiar actions. Caregivers can easily make these boards themselves with common household items.

What Is a Busy Board?

A busy board is a board, box or cloth panel mounted with various latches, locks, light switches, wheels, dials and other interactive parts. Patients manipulate these items with their hands to occupy themselves with familiar motions.

Twisting door locks, buckling belts, spinning wheels, toggling switches and other fidgeting movements tap into long-term memory. This stimulates brains deteriorating from Alzheimer’s while providing reassurance through habitual, meaningful motions.

Benefits of Busy Boards for Dementia Patients

Letting dementia patients freely interact with a busy board offers several benefits:

• Preoccupies hands - Fidgeting with the interactive parts reduces restless behaviors like picking at clothes or rubbing skin repeatedly.
• Engages the mind - The sensory stimulation and motor coordination challenge the brain, slowing cognitive decline.
• Eases anxiety and agitation - Redirects nervous energy away from distressed emotions and reactions.
• Promotes positive feelings - Familiar motions provide comfort and affirm identity during a confusing time.

Busy boards serve as appropriate distractions when dementia results in camouflaging behaviors or socially inappropriate conduct. They allow redirecting energy into constructive motions suited to the patient’s remaining capabilities.

Features to Include on Dementia Busy Boards

The specific parts attached to a busy board depend on the interests, background and changing abilities of the individual. Tailor to the types of fidgeting motions that comfort and reassure your loved one.

Some examples of items to incorporate include:

• Door latches, locks and handles
• Light switches
• Car door handles
• Seat belt buckles
• Zippers and velcro flaps
• Spinners
• Wind-up toys
• Rotary dials
• Jigsaw puzzle pieces

Prioritize familiar motions from the patient’s work life, hobbies or home activities. This taps into long-term memories to comfort and reassure better than unfamiliar gadgets would.

Tips for Making Your Own Dementia Busy Board

Caregivers can easily DIY their own busy board at home with recycled household items. Follow these tips:

Choose a Sturdy Base

Good bases for mounting parts include:

• Wooden board or picture frame
• File crate or storage bin
• Durable cloth panel

Avoid flimsy cardboard or thin plastic unable to handle regular use and wear. Opt for materials thick and strong enough to mount multiple items securely.

Collect Recycled Parts

Search around your home, garage and workplace to find familiar objects to attach. Resist buying new gadgets. Repurposing old items carries more significance and saves money.

Some examples:

• Broken appliances
• Old phones or electronics
• Discarded locks, lights, tools
• Scraps of wood, plastic, metal

Remove sharp edges for safety. Wash and disinfect all parts before adding them.

Attach Items Securely

Glue or screw objects onto the base to prevent choking hazards. Things like game pieces may simply sit loose inside a box base. Use velcro or straps to attach anything that could fall off with vigorous use.

Organize Meaningful Categories

Group related items into stations to stimulate different types of motions. Categories might include:

• Driving controls like car door handles
• Home controls like light switches and locks
• Workplace parts representative of their career
• Hobby or sport simulated objects

Separate out items likely to frustrate your loved one as dementia progresses. Rotate these to match their changing capability over time.

Tips for Using Dementia Busy Boards

Follow these guidelines to successfully introduce a busy board and promote ongoing engagement:

Choose Times of Anxiety or Restlessness

Present the busy board during episodes of repetitive worrying, agitated motions or distress to redirect their energy positively. Using it for distraction before problematic behaviors start can prevent escalation.

Provide Verbal Cues

Gently direct their hands to the board and suggest interacting with specific parts. Reminisce out loud about memories related to the objects to increase meaning and comfort.

Allow Free Manipulation

Rather than issue step-by-step instructions, invite open-ended interaction with the items however they wish. This encourages intuitive responses and sensory exploration to stimulate different parts of the brain.

Limit Choices Initially

Only keep a few items on the board when first introducing it. Rotate novel parts in slowly over time. Too many pieces at once may overwhelm those in later dementia stages.

Provide Reassurance

Offer positive reinforcement while they manipulate the busy board. Remain patient and calm even if they seem confused on proper object use. Focus on redirecting anxiety, not teaching lost functionality.

Subscribe to a “use it or lose it” approach by incorporating busy board activities regularly. The sensory stimulation and motor movements activate brains losing capacity rapidly. Help your loved one engage remaining strengths focusing on motions still possible for them.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.