My mom-in-law has Alzheimer's & I need activities for her other than watching TV.
I cannot get her to do any games. She has no patience & the obvious understanding of them. I tried reading her a few passages in the Bible today & all she kept asking me was "When is he coming"..meaning her son (my husband).
She is obsessed with him and our day consists of talking about when he is coming & watching TV. I want to show her more enjoyment but am running out of ideas. She is very stubborn & set in her ways. How can I get her to to do other things in the house besides watching tv? I appreciate any advice.
Thanks!
Adult coloring books with a big box of crayons.
Dolls whose clothes she could change and hair she could 'fix'
Playing cards. we played Go Fish. She attempted solitaire (Mom was a big bridge player back in the day).
Also Dominos - but I had red and black and white and we would match color not numbers!
but my mom will".
Another idea is to involve her in everyday tasks - drying dishes, washing the table, folding the laundry, cutting coupons. Again, she would likely need help to start and to keep going. Also, look to what hobbies or interests she had prior.
If you are interested in activity items designed for persons with dementia, see below.
Monica
p.s. We are still searching for a caregiver 4 days a week (live-in) if you know of anyone in the Streamwood, IL area.
Man, her attention span is SOOOOOO Short! Ahhh carumba!
Ruth1957...I actually laughted out loud when I read the suggestion about putting a book of photos of my hubby....That is GENIOUS! Thanks.
I appreciate all these ideas. Here I am a singer/dancer and posess an artisitc/creative side & I am trying to think up of things to do..lol I should be better at this. I am going to look for some good coffee table books! I bet the Good Will store has tons!
Thanks again. ;)
There are two great articles written by AgingCare.com Editor’s that were already posted in our community. We thought this might answer your caregiving question.
Caring for a Parent with Alzheimer's at Home
Page 4: Activities for Someone with Alzheimer's Disease
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/Alzheimers-disease-activities-games-139990.htm
and
My Elderly Parent Has Dementia: What Activities Can We Do?
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/My-Elderly-Parent-Has-Dementia-What-Activities-Can-We-Do-Together-137087.htm
We hope this helps. Please let us know if you need anything else and we look forward to seeing more questions and discussions from you.
Thank you,
Karie H.
The AgingCare.com Team
She does have the same concentration issue as your husband. This is why I have had a difficult time finding activities. She loves her tv. I just thought maybe try some more activities to give her more of "a life". She gets frustrated & then gets real mad & will throw a fit. She used to do my hair (her version of braiding..lol) but now she says she does not know how. It is so sad & I dont want to upset her. The coin idea just might work. She loves her coins...lol We go to the store a lot and walk around & she likes to look at the kids. Thanks for the advice. I will keep ya posted :)
How about looking at family albums together? Can she tell your stories about the older pictures?
Would she be interested in some other kind of reading material? A child's picture book, perhaps?
Can she set the table? Help you roll out cookie dough? Sweep the sidewalk?
There was a time in my husband's dementia when he could not concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time. It was wonderful progress when he could follow the plot of a television show. We found that videos, without the continuous interuption of commercials, were more suitable for him. I don't think watching television or videos is a bad thing, but I hope you can come up with other activities as well.