Tried and tested: Activity products for people with dementia

Our consumer panels usually meet in person to look at products, but we’d often thought they should try things out at home – lockdown made this a necessity! 

When people affected by dementia from West Sussex Focus on Dementia Network agreed to a session over Zoom, we sent them a variety of Active Minds games and activities beforehand, all available from our online shop. 

We were also pleased that more people were able to send their comments individually through our Dementia Voice programme.

Natural world Aquapaints 

The group liked the vibrant images produced using Natural world Aquapaints. 

‘When the picture first started revealing itself, I was quite surprised because I thought you had to paint around in detail,’ said Ian. ‘I didn’t realise you could just sweep it over and it would all come up – it’s good!’

‘Much better than the “magic painting” I did as a child,’ added Jan, ‘Very clever and very clear.’ 

Jan suggested including three or four images per sheet that you could uncover gradually, while Ian recommended doing it on a tray in case you use too much water. 

Although Peter described it as ‘an excellent product’, he added, ‘If I have one niggle, it is that there is no paintbrush enclosed. A finger dipped in water will do at a pinch, but I wonder how many adults living with dementia will have an artist’s paintbrush handy.’

If you did have a brush to hand, the size used made a big difference. 

‘We were using a tiny brush,’ said Alison, ‘so by the time we’d put the water onto the entire animal in the picture, it had started fading.’ 

Gordon agreed, ‘Frustrating was one word!’ 

A more suitably sized brush is available that’s also easy to grip. Our shop’s looking into stocking it, so you can add one when buying any of the nine different Aquapaint sets, which are £14.58 each excluding VAT.

Cat’s whiskers jigsaw 

Everyone thought the 35-piece Cat’s whiskers puzzle was extremely well made. 

‘It’s beautifully packed,’ said Gerard. ‘I was very impressed with the quality of the box and the way the box works. There’s lots of brilliant ideas and conflict in the picture, that’s what I loved about it.’ 

Stan agreed, ‘I’d like to do others if you’ve got them. Being a printer, I thought it was brilliant – the printing of it was very, very well done.’

‘The questions inside the box were a talking point for bringing back memories,’ said Joan. ‘Stan enjoyed doing the puzzle and we talked about it with our family.’ 

Joan noted it’s not so environmentally friendly because it’s made from plastic. However, Gerard said, ‘It is strong and, I think, durable – I think it would last.’ 

People liked the price too – £12.49 excluding VAT – especially since it remained the same for different designs with 13, 35, 63 and (soon) 100 pieces. 

‘I would have thought that’s excellent value,’ said Roy. 

Link and think game 

The design of both Transport and Careers versions of Link and think was popular with the group, including how it felt to handle the dice and tiles. The game asks players to compare and comment on the words on its tiles in various ways. 

Joan appreciated that the instructions were inside the lid, though she didn’t like that a label covered the face of the woman pictured on the box. 

Margaret and Roy thought the box could be a bit tricky to open and close. Linda agreed, ‘It took a while to find out how to open it, then it was easy. Instructions on the bottom would be better on the side, as I didn’t think to turn it over.’ 

‘The dice is big, easy to roll and easy to read the words on it,’ said Amanda and Bethany. ‘We love how bright and colourful the tiles are, and that the words on them are easy to see and read. The tiles seem really sturdy and strong.’ 

Mo’s husband was put off by the word ‘careers’, despite having been a metal polisher for 50 years. ‘He thinks of himself as a person who had a “job” and “worked”,’ she said. 

He much preferred the Transport version. ‘For a start, Grahame liked the outside because it looks like a couple perhaps in the 1950s or 60s, and he thought he recognised the car straightaway.’ 

Joan said you could play Link and think on your own, but it’s much better with others. 

Mo agreed, ‘The tiles produced lots of discussion and lots of reminiscence. When we got the tile with the funicular railway on, we talked about holiday places where we’d been that had that sort of railway up the cliff.’ 

Each Link and think game costs £9.99 excluding VAT. We’ve learned that the Transport version will be discontinued, so get yours before stocks run out.

Animal audio bingo 

Penny didn’t expect they’d need a CD player to play Animal audio bingo, so she and Paul moved rooms once they realised. The alternative – playing the game’s animal noises online – wasn’t possible because the website was down (it’s available now).

‘Again, this was really well made,’ said Penny. ‘The box is nice and sturdy, nice clear pictures.’ 

However, the game would have been more fun with a group. 

‘With just two people you’ve got the bingo caller, who holds up the sheet and the flipbook,’ said Penny, ‘so it’s only really one person playing the bingo.’ 

‘Yeah, if there would’ve been six of you, say, that would’ve been better,’ said Paul. 

John agreed, ‘The club me and Paul go to, we would enjoy that there!’ 

‘I really enjoyed playing, lots of different animals to remember,’ said Linda. ‘It’s good for a talking point and to reminisce.’ 

Ian said he and Jan found some of the animal noises difficult to identify. 

‘The bees were buzzing and then in the background there were birds singing,’ said Jan, ‘so it got a bit confusing.’ 

Penny said this is easier when the caller’s also holding up the flipbook, but Active Minds said they’ll be reviewing the sounds too. 

£20.83 excluding VAT was a bit expensive for Penny, though Jan came back to the product’s high quality. 

‘I mean look at the cards,’ she said, ‘they’re really beautiful. It draws you in, doesn’t it – you want to play because they’re beautifully done.’ 

Animal snap and Category snap 

Margaret liked Animal snap. ‘It was a very good one, especially for me because I kept winning!’ 

Despite losing to her, Roy enjoyed it too. ‘There were three games in there – all very different, all needing very different skills – and the name rather undersells the product.’

Alison and Gordon invented a fourth game that someone could play on their own. 

‘We did a sort of patience, where you put the different animals across the top and work out which ones go on which pile,’ said Alison. 

‘Feeling the quality,’ said Gordon, ‘I’d say it was robust, so the accountant in me says that this is very good.’ 

Peter was less convinced by how lasting they’d be. ‘One of them has become “dog-eared” after only a few games,’ he said. 

‘The cards might have been a fraction smaller for Margaret’s hands,’ added Roy. 

Penny and Paul enjoyed Category snap, but found the pictures a bit old-fashioned. The colours used in the food category also looked ‘wishy-washy’ to them, making it harder to recognise images. 

Amanda and her daughter Bethany thought Category snap looked ‘very appealing’, adding that the cards, ‘feel very nice and the pictures are very cute and simple.’ 

Joyce and John were misled by the game’s name before realising it was different to the traditional card game of snap. 

John said, ‘But same again, another good game for the club environment, family or anything like that. A great talking point.’ 

Animal snap and Category snap are £7.49 each, excluding VAT.

For many daily living aids products in our online shop, you don’t have to pay VAT as long as they’re bought to be used by a person with dementia or other condition. Tick the box stating that you’re eligible for VAT relief at checkout. To check your eligibility, call the HM Revenue & Customs advice line on 0300 200 3700 or refer to its VAT Notice 701/7.