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Name: Marissa Fisher

Activity: “Let’s Go Shopping”: Advertisement Shopping Scavenger Hunt

Sources:

Activities. (2021). Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. https://www.alz.org/help-

support/caregiving/daily-care/activities

Dementia - Symptoms and causes. (2019, April 19). Mayo Clinic.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-

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Ekstrom. (1999, June 1). Activities for People with Dementia. Therapeutic Recreation Directory.

https://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/dementia.htm

Equipment: A variety of magazines and/ or newspapers with ads, scissors, a plastic tray

Description: The objective of this activity is to enhance cognitive skills through memory
formation and exploration. Individuals with Dementia and Alzheimer’s are often times less
informed about the prices and items being sold. This activity provides participants with an
opportunity to express their interests about specific items, which aids in establishing identity.
Additionally, cognitive skills are targeted through direction following. Participants of any ability
can participate, as it provides an opportunity for cognitive and social stimulation.

1. Collect advertisements from magazines and newspapers. Then, form a checklist with these
items (number of items can depend on how much time you have for the activity). Examples
of items include:
a. Milk
b. Makeup brushes
c. Jeans
d. Soccer ball
e. Etc.
2. Gather a group of participants, or one participant if working one on one. Group sizes should
be limited to 3-4 people.
3. Pass out scissors, magazine/ news ads, and plastic tray
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4. Explain that participants will be using the list to find items and cut them out. Once they find
a specific item, they will use a check mark to identify it on the checklist. Once the item is cut
out, participants may place them on the tray.
5. Set a timer for at least 15 minutes. Time length may vary depending on time restrictions in
specific settings. Make sure to let participants know that it is okay to not have everything
checked off once the timer goes off.
6. Once you set the timer, let participants explore the ads. If they have questions, educate each
individual by providing background information.
7. When time is up, have the participants stop and gather their tray full of advertisements.
8. While gathered together, have each participant share the items that they found. This can help
individuals explore different variations of items or items they have not checked off.
9. During the interaction process, have each group member check off items that others have
found. For example, if one group member found a skateboard and other participants did not,
they would all check skateboard on the list.
10. After the group has shared their items, ask about what they found interesting/ surprising.
Then, let participants share opinions on specific items, prices, and the activity in general.
This can aid in memory formation because it provides participants with the opportunity to
reminisce on their past.

Primary Interaction Pattern: The primary interaction pattern within this activity is intra-group
because participants work together to reach a mutual goal through the use of verbal cues. In
order for this activity to succeed, participants must find items individually. To complete the
checklist, individuals will then share and interact with the group.

Adaptation: Dementia has a variety of disorders grouped within the category. As a whole,
dementia causes the brain to function abnormally leading to changes in cognitive abilities. It is
causes by damage to brain cells and how they communicate with one another. When something
interferes with cellular communication, normal brain functions become affected. Each brain
region results in impairment of specific functions. Symptoms for each individual may vary but
dementia generally involves memory loss, difficulty with communication, difficulty with
executive functioning, and emotional impairment. Different types of dementia are classified by
the way cellular communication is affected. There are many classifications of dementia, some of
the most progressive being Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia,
Frontotemporal dementia, and Mixed dementia. Additional classifications of dementia are caused
by other disorders that link symptoms to nerve/ cellular damage. There are many risk factors that
contribute to dementia. As one progressively ages, their family history might influence genetic
mutations that cause the disorder. Additionally, dementia has three stages that determine the
severity of symptoms: early, middle, and late. A common trend in diagnoses is early onset
dementia, which is seen in individuals younger than 65. Early onset dementia is relatively the
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same as other types of dementia, but it develops much earlier in life. This may cause individuals
to struggle with coping and emotion regulation due to the fact that it is less common for their
peers to have dementia. As mentioned previously, the shopping activity enhances participants’
cognitive abilities such as memory formation, coping skills, socialization, and direction
following (executive functioning). For individuals with early onset dementia, it might be difficult
to socialize with others. A simple adaptation that can be made would be to make the activity
more of an aggregate interaction pattern. Instead of creating an end goal for the group, the
interaction can be directed towards one participant and one facilitator. This helps participants
improve their cognitive skills without overwhelming them in big groups. Another adaptation that
can be made for individuals with early onset dementia would be the structure of the activity. As
the disorder progresses into later stages, the activity should be structured in a more-repetitive
manner. Our goal is to limit participant distress, so an activity that requires a high level of
cognitive ability might not be beneficial. Instead, we can adapt the activity and introduce more
repetitive tasks. For example, the checklist can identify items by their colors rather than specific
items. Individuals can cut out five blue items of any kind. Repetition of one color can help
participants complete the activity and apply it to their daily life. By simplifying the task,
participants can feel more comfortable participating while still gaining the cognitive benefits.
Overall, the range of adaptations for this activity are endless. Each individual is different,
therefore the activity can be customized to each person’s abilities/ strengths.