Then and Now

Many residents, particularly those with early stage dementia, have clear memories of when a stick of gum cost a few cents but do not know what things cost today. Save up the Sunday circulars for several weeks and designate a day as “shopping day.” Have residents sit around a table and give them each a stack of circulars, along with some scissors and a shopping list and ask the residents to find and cut out the photos of every product on their list. Once they have located the article and cut it out, keep it in a pile. The resident who has the largest stack at the end wins. For residents with more ability ask them to locate the products with the lowest cost. Make sure to have volunteers on hand to help with cutting for those that cannot do it themselves. Encourage residents to interact during the shopping session by offering up a product they have already found or by trading coupons.