The Goal: to provide joy and laughter to those with dementia and their care providers

There are very few games, toys and products devoted to seniors with memory loss that provide appropriate stimulation, reasonable challenges and true enjoyment. Most products are not age-appropriate and tend to be quite juvenile. Often a senior with memory loss sits idly in front of a TV or they are given a product found in a pre-school environment. The Brainy Day Activity Program was based on a concept developed by a nationally certified activity director with over 20 years of experience with seniors and dementia. The challenge was to find products that were unique, adult, safe, colorful (this appeals to individuals with dementia) and fun. And once we found the product, we needed to create activities that would be appropriate for individuals in early, mid and late-stage dementia. We wanted to provide activities and games that would respect the dignity of seniors with memory loss. Activities that would provide true engagement and laughter and ultimately, provide as much enjoyment for the care provider as the senior with memory loss.

We spent one year searching, discovering and redefining the products and activities. We invited activity professionals, in-home care providers and consumers to participate in focus groups. We wanted these care givers to test the concept, the products and the activities. We refined and tweaked the program a bit more and in August of 2009, The Brainy Day Activity Program was introduced.