7 Health Benefits of Crafting for People with Age-Related Memory Loss

Crochet for Late-Stage Alzheimer's and protective benefits of crafting for the brain

This article originally appeared on the PsychCentral blog Crafting to Heal.

When I did the research for my book, Crochet Saved My Life, one of the things that I learned about was how crochet could help people in various stages of age-related memory loss. A recent article about art therapy in a Chicago senior community shows that any type of craft can offer similar benefits.

Crochet for Late-Stage Alzheimer’s

My research found that crochet has the potential to help prevent age-related memory loss including dementia and Alzheimer’s. The research is too new to say that for sure, but there are hopeful signs. Moreover, it can serve as a protective factor for people in early stages of the disease. That means it may slow down the progression of memory loss. Furthermore, it can help to combat the symptoms suffered by people with late-stage Alzheimer’s.

For example, one of the symptoms that people struggle with is restless fidgeting. I wrote in Crochet Saved My Life,