AARP: Legos Can Be More Than Child's Play for People With Dementia
AARP recently interviewed Sarah Kremen, MD, who leads the Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trial Program in the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai, about a study showing that playing with Legos improved symptoms of dementia.
The study authors curated an environment devoid of distractions, spread out participants and provided only a few blocks at a time to avoid overwhelming participants.
Kremen, who was not involved in the study, told AARP that she appreciates the tactile and visual stimulations Legos provide and uses the toys when treating her own patients. She told AARP that playing with Legos is an effective way to treat dementia patients who are easily agitated, without using drugs.
“Somebody might be punching or kicking—things are pretty bad. So ... let’s try to get them engaged in something they might want to do,” she said.
Legos can be a useful tool to calm a patient down, Kremen told AARP, noting other tactics include walking, playing music or changing the conversation topic.
“This would ... be a really nice behavioral therapy, where somebody might be attracted to the colors or feeling something, almost going to the basics of our senses,” Kremen said. “It’s a pleasurable thing. It’s calming. It’s creative.”
Many people with dementia could benefit from such a stimulating activity and often are bored, but they typically lack the ability to plan, which is why Kremen encourages caregivers to fill that gap.
“If you don’t bring it to them, they’re just not going to do it,” she told AARP.
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