Meaningful daily activity for people with dementia.

The importance of activity for people with dementia is an undisputed fact. However, and coupled with the development of Person-Centered Care, it is increasingly evident that it is more important that the activity performed is an activity with meaning, individualized and based on the life history, tastes and preferences of each person. This article provides a review on the subject, and a reflection on the need to emphasize the realization of such activities and evidence of their effects on people with dementia.

Conclusions

It seems clear that engaging in meaningful daily activities is important for all humans, not just those with dementia. However, for the latter it is often difficult to access to perform such activities, either by the progressive limitation of their abilities, or by the limitations imposed by the environments in which they find themselves, which often either do not offer the possibility of meaningful activities, or restrict this option for people with dementia for various reasons.

It is important to continue research on the effects of the involvement of people with dementia in environments and meaningful daily activities, since the few studies show that the benefits obtained affect both the people who perform the activity and their immediate environment.

On the other hand, the available evidence shows that the staff working with people with dementia is a key factor. However, these professionals often encounter difficulties when developing activities for and with these people, so further development is needed in tools and materials to support and facilitate this task.