Colouring for people living with dementia: a guide for carers

Is colouring a good activity for this person?

Dementia Australia's guidance on activities for people with dementia suggests choosing activities that keep skills active, make the person feel good and confident, respect their cultural or spiritual background, and connect with what makes them who they are: their work, hobbies, places they've been and important moments in their life. Colouring fits well for people who enjoyed art, crafts, puzzles or gardening, and for some who never did but like a quiet, absorbing task.

It may not suit someone who finds fine hand movements frustrating, who feels it's childish, or who would rather be moving, chatting or listening to music. Alzheimers New Zealand's guidance for people living with dementia encourages adapting hobbies to suit changing abilities rather than giving them up, so if colouring doesn't land, painting with big brushes, arranging flowers or a large-print word search might.

Choosing colouring pages for adults with dementia

• Grown-up subjects. Flowers, birds, gardens, the seaside, tea time, simple patterns. The Alzheimer's Society's activities handbook suggests an adult colouring book with a theme the person is interested in, such as animals.
• Bold outlines and big spaces. Thick lines are easier to see and to stay inside. Start with fewer, larger shapes than you think.
• Nothing childish. Avoid cartoon characters and baby animals with big eyes unless the person clearly loves them. Being offered children's materials can feel belittling.
• Familiar and personal. A favourite flower, a type of bird they used to feed, a pattern like the tiles in their old kitchen.
• Several options. Print two or three and let the person choose.

Setting up the space and materials

Dementia Australia recommends an activity space that is tidy, quiet, well lit without being too bright, with comfortable seating at the right height. For colouring that means:

• A clear table with only the page and a few pens or pencils on it.
• Good daylight or a lamp placed so the hand doesn't cast a shadow on the page.
• Chunky felt-tip pens, crayons or soft pencils that give strong colour without pressing hard.
• A small choice of colours, three or four, rather than a full box.
• The page taped to the table or on a clipboard if it slides around.
• Something to look at for ideas: real flowers, shells or photos.

How to run a colouring session

1. Pick a good time of day. Dementia Australia suggests choosing times when the person feels at their best; for many that is the morning.
2. Invite, don't insist. Offer the activity and accept a "no". You can always try again later.
3. Start together. If they hesitate, colour a shape yourself or choose the first colour together. Sometimes just sitting together is enough.
4. One step at a time. "Shall we do the petals in pink?" works better than a list of instructions.
5. Keep it short. Ten to twenty minutes is plenty. Stop while it's still enjoyable.
6. Talk, if they want to. A flower page can lead to a conversation about gardens, a seaside page about holidays. Follow their lead rather than quizzing.
7. Admire the work. Comment on the colours or the pattern. There is no "right" way and no need to stay inside the lines.
8. Do something with it. Dementia Australia suggests inviting the person to sign their work, then mounting it on coloured paper, making it into a card for family or framing it.

Doing it with them, not for them

Alzheimers New Zealand's person-centred principles, Engage, Enable, Empower, describe supporting people to do things with others rather than having things done for them. In practice: let the person choose the page and the colours, resist finishing a section "to help", and let an unfinished page be finished. If colouring is a group activity in a care home or day centre, offer a few different pages and let people sit with friends.

As dementia changes

The NHS notes that in the later stages of dementia activities often need to be simpler and more focused on the senses, but that people can still enjoy them (Activities for dementia). Colouring might become filling one big shape, enjoying the feel of a crayon, or watching someone else colour while chatting. Simpler pages, a single colour at a time and more help getting started all keep it possible for longer.

When colouring isn't working

• Frustration with small spaces: switch to a bolder page or a painting activity.
• "This is for children": try a geometric or stained glass design, or move to a word search.
• Restlessness: go for a walk, garden, or put on music. The Alzheimer's Society lists many activity ideas, from cooking to music.
• Low mood or tiredness: leave it for another day. Some days the person won't want to, and that's fine.

If you care for someone full time, look after yourself too. Colouring alongside them can be a quiet ten minutes for you as well.