Dear Readers:
My mother was an artist; she was a magnificent and talented artist. When she become ill with dementia, she could no longer paint. This broke her heart and it broke mine too.
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what would give my mom joy. I had to consider what she once loved, what she could now accomplish, and what she was willing to try. For example, my mom’s attention span was short, she would get frustrated and angry, she didn’t want to do anything with anybody, or she was sad because she could no longer do what she once loved.
These were all challenges I tried to meet.
Sometimes, I was successful. Other times, I was not. But I always tried.
Fast forward to present day: families, friends, and caregivers are always asking, “What can I do?” So, I decided to search the web and present some ideas for you in a section called “Alzheimer’s Activities.”
There are no “rules” for these activities, but here are a couple of guidelines you might find helpful:
- Safety first - whatever activity you decide to undertake, ensure that your loved one is safe.
- Exercising - When thinking about exercise, it is important to consider the person’s abilities, needs and preferences. Some people will have participated in regular exercise over the years and the concept will not be new, while others might have exercised very little. If you have questions, take to your doctor.
- Baby steps - take an activity one step at a time. If it is too difficult, split the task into baby steps and take is slowly. If it is still to hard, stop it, and do some other activity.
- Too hard - if the task is too hard, your loved one will get bored, agitated, or tired. Stop the activity and let him/her rest. Go back to the activity (or a different one) at another day or time.
- Too easy - if a task is too easy, great, try something else. There are activities here for all skill levels.
- I’m tired - avoid starting an activity when a loved one appears tired or not feeling well.
- Just plan bad - if an activity is really bad, tell me, and I’ll delete it. I’m experimenting here and appreciate your feedback.
- My ideas are better than your ideas - great, email me with your ideas and I’ll put your name in print. Send a photo of you and your loved one involved in an activity and I’ll post that too.
~ Jennifer
