Remember the game show, 'Family Feud'? This is a great cognitive activity for Recreation Therapists to facilitate in a group setting (for all cognitive levels) but also perfect for caregivers to use with people with mild to moderate stages of dementia. The game encourages participants to think of the 5 most popular answers that people might say when asked a particular question. For example, "What is one thing your parents told you not to waste?" The participants will start to provide answers until all of the answers are given.
A few ways to play…
As a group activity, ask the question and allow the group to provide answers. Write 1-5 on a white board and as they say a correct answer, write the answer down where it belongs. If they are stuck on one or two, provide hints to help them get the answers. Always praise the answers regardless if they are right or wrong (such as, “Ah, that’s a great answer but it didn’t make it to the top 5”, etc.).
As a one-to-one activity, ask the question or show them in writing if they are hard of hearing or deaf. As they answer, write the answers from 1 to 5 down on a sheet so they can see what answer they have already given. If they give lots of other answers you could write them down on the side of the sheet so they feel successful with thinking of answers. Provide hints as needed to help them think of the most popular 1-5 answers. Always be encouraging and at times, you can put their answer in the top 5 to make them feel successful. Often, it's just about playing, not always about being right.
Questions and answers can be printed off from the attached document.