Attention is the mind's ability to channel all focus on one thing while blocking out any other stimuli. When the mind's attention faculty is strong, it can prioritize certain thoughts in order to finish a task, solve a problem, or reach a goal. When this function declines, people become easily distracted and may be unable to complete simple tasks as a result. This can become very frustrating to the person and his or her loved ones since he or she often becomes more dependent on others.
The following are two examples of activities our caregivers use to help strengthen attention in our clients.
In Block Tapping, the caregiver taps shapes in a certain order and then the client is instructed to repeat the sequence. Even if the client cannot recreate the tapping pattern precisely, his or her focus on the tapping itself engages the attention domain.
In the Find the Items activity, clients are instructed to point to specified items on a given page,. For example, a client may be asked to find the cats, which requires him or her to ignore the other images on the page. We encourage each client to take his or her time and look carefully whether or not all items are found.
Focusing on a task or information can be made easier by stimulating and training the attention domain. Addressing the attention domain is crucial because missing out on important information could potentially put the client in danger.