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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Alzheimer's / July 2007Need ideas for things to keep Dad busy ...
Hello again, We've had a really good three weeks with my dad considering his state just prior. His head injury must be healing nicely. He's settled back into his home routine and we have home health care coming in weekly plus my brother and his wife and I are there two or three times every day. I guess it's a luxury right now that we should enjoy. I'm hoping some of you will have some ideas for busy work we can give Dad to do. He has always been mechanical and even has a wood working shop behind his house. All the power tools have been put away but the tables and work space are there and he will take his flashlights out to the workshop just to change the batteries. He has two chargers and will spend all day re-charging as many batteries as he can find. We try to help keep him supplied with batteries to charge. There's just so many dead batteries you know. :-) Also, he used to be great with computers. He would buy components and build his own machines and even built and donated several for others who couldn't afford them. He even taught his seniors group at his church how to do e-mail. He's lost all of those skills. We even re-loaded an old, old, old version of windows on his machine and he was able to use it for a while but not now. Sometimes he turns it on and (he's a DOS man) prints a file. Funny what they do remember sometimes. I keep thinking there must be something that would seem like work but be simple enough to keep him busy and give him a sense of accomplishment. He still needs that badly. He built several bird feeders (simple trays with cord hangers) for his back yard this winter. He's taken them all down and is now putting out the hummingbird feeders. I planted several large containers of flowers for him and we've had so much rain that he never even has to water them. That will change I'm sure. We've kind of exhausted our ideas and would appreciate any thoughts. He's pretty high-functioning but physically limited with a ruptured disc in his back. Can't stand for very long, his legs go numb. His favorite brother-in-law took him to the senior center one day last week to play dominos and that did not go well. He was convinced they were stacking the dominos against him and his partner. He doesn't like to lose.... obviously. Anyway, he doesn't want to go back there. Social gatherings are now very difficult for him unless he is very close to the people around him. It's amazing how he can play dominos with his sister or her husband and really keep up and even win most of their games. We're trying to arrange for an occasional gathering for dominos. None of us know how to play and the others do not live in the same city. I've volunteered so I'll be learning the game soon. Dad will definitely win against me. :-) Anyway - things are sort of settling down for now so any help or ideas that worked for your loved ones will be appreciated. Best regards, - Barbara H > We've kind of exhausted our ideas and would appreciate any thoughts. He's > pretty high-functioning but physically limited with a ruptured disc in his > back. Can't stand for very long, his legs go numb. if he does like to garden, i can think of several things. weeding, for one. i do mine from either a gardending stool like http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051& langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100388263&categoryID=502411 or a wheeled garden scooter kind of like this: http://www.gardeners.com/Labor-Saving/default/StandardCatalog.EssentialTools_Cat .35-661.cpd since i have a bad lower lumbar problem and knee tendon problems. of course, for weeding you need to be able to remember which are weeds and which are plants you want to save... another suggestion would be making simple planters (if he can still do so) and then planting them with flowers or herbs. of course, there are only so many of those you can get rid of once they're planted, even if you give them away. if he's good at gardening and there are some folks in the neighborhood that are too old or ill to keep their yards in good shape, volunteering to help folks like that would probably make both him and the recipient of his assistance feel great. many folks have had a lot of success with folding laundry, at lesat with female LOs. if you run out, you can always put some back in the dryer for a minute or two, and then have it folded again. > Hello again, > We've had a really good three weeks with my dad considering his state just [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > > Best regards, - Barbara H Plant lots of flowers like marigolds, petunias, pansies, etc. that need the dead heads trimmed regularly in order for them to keep blooming. Then fertilize the planted flowers and he can have daily rounds of trimming the various dead heads. That will keep him busy until this fall anyways. If he can not bend over put the flowers in planters or baskets that he can reach without bending. AW Well I got Dad a dog from the pound, a long haired shaggy mutt, she is one of the ugliest things I've ever seen and she sheds enough to knit a new dog everyday. But she adores Dad and He really loves her. I felt really bad the 1st time that asked Dad to run the vacuum cleaner to pick up dog hair, don't think he had ever run one befor, but he seems to liked it. So now he gets his exercize, he sleeps better, and the carpets are cleaner than ever befor. am thinking about renting him and the vacuum cleaner out, lol > Well I got Dad a dog from the pound, a long haired shaggy mutt, she is > one of the ugliest things I've ever seen and she sheds enough to knit [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > the carpets are cleaner than ever befor. am thinking about renting > him and the vacuum cleaner out, lol Steve, my mother in law quickly "forgot" when she last walked the dog, and the dog started going in the house all the time. I needn't tell you what a mess that turned out to be! She just totally forgot the dog even needed walking ever. As long as you keep an eye on things and assume responsibility when he doesn't anymore, it ought to be a really good thing, since animals are so loving, your Dad has something that gives interest and loving affection, without reservation.  SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn > Anyway - things are sort of settling down for now so any help or ideas > that worked for your loved ones will be appreciated. > > Best regards, - Barbara H Hi Barbara, This is a list that someone posted here a long time ago, of things to do with an alzheimers patient. I found that my mother in law may have forgotten how to cook, but she loved helping me cut up vegetables for homemade soup or for dinner or whatever. She needed me to tell her what to do, but she did it fine for quite a long time into her illness. Anyway, here's the list, and I hope there are some helpful suggestions there for you. ********** 101 Things to do with a Person with Alzheimers' 1. Clip coupons 2. Sort poker chips 3. Count tickets 4. Rake leaves 5. Use the carpet sweeper 6. Read out loud 7. Bake cookies 8. Look up names in the phone book 9. Read the daily paper out loud 10. Ask someone with a child to visit 11. Listen to Polka music 12. Plant seeds indoors or out 13. Look at family photographs 14. Toss a ball 15. Color pictures 16. Make homemade lemonade 17. Wipe off the table 18. Weed the flower bed 19. Make cream cheese mints 20. Have a spelling bee 21. Read from the Reader's Digest 22. Fold clothes 23. Have a friend visit with a calm pet 24. Cut pictures out of greeting cards 25. Wash silverware 26. Bake homemade bread 27. Sort objects by shape or color 28. Sing old songs 29. "Tell me more" when they talk about a memory 30. Put silverware away 31. Make a Valentine collage 32. Play favorite songs and sing 33. Take a ride 34. Make a cherry pie 35. Read aloud from Ideals magazine 36. Play dreidels 37. Make a basket of socks 38. Take a walk 39. Reminisce about 1st day of school 40. String Cheerios to hang outside for birds 41. Make a fresh fruit salad 42. Sweep the patio 43. Color paper shamrocks green 44. Fold towels 45. Have afternoon tea 46. Remember great inventions 47. Play Pictionary 48. Paint a sheet 49. Cut out paper dolls 50. Identify states and capitals 51. Make a family tree poster 52. Color a picture of our flag 53. Cook hot dogs outside 54. Grow magic rocks 55. Water house plants 56. Reminisce about the first kiss 57. Play horse shoes 58. Dance 59. Sing favorite hymns 60. Make homemade ice cream 61. Force bulbs for winter blooming 62. Make Christmas cards 63. Sort playing cards by their color 64. Write a letter to a family member 65. Dress in your favorite football team's color 66. Pop popcorn 67. Name the presidents 68. Give a manicure 69. Make paper butterflies 70. Plant a tree 71. Make a May basket 72. Make homemade applesauce 73. Finish famous sayings 74. Feed the ducks 75. Mold with play dough 76. Look at pictures in National Geographic 77. Put a puzzle together 78. Sand wood 79. Rub in hand lotion 80. Decorate paper placemats 81. Arrange fresh flowers 82. Remember famous people 83. Straighten out underwear drawer 84. Finish Nursery Rhymes 85. Make peanut butter sandwiches 86. Wipe off patio furniture 87. Cut up used paper for scratch paper 88. Take care of fish tank 89. Trace and cut out leaves 90. Ask simple trivia questions 91. Finish Bible quotes 92. Paint with string 93. Cut out pictures from magazines 94. Read classic short stories 95. Put coins in a jar 96. Sew sewing cards 97. Put bird feed out for the birds 98. Clean out a pumpkin 99. Reminisce about a favorite summer 100. Roll yarn into a ball 101. Make a birthday cake SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn > Hello again, > We've had a really good three weeks with my dad considering his state just [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > > Best regards, - Barbara H my FIL who is not so computer literate as your father plays computer solitaire alot. my MIL joined in once and she won and he got stroppy, but it does keep him amused for hours chris > I'm hoping some of you will have some ideas for busy work we can give Dad > to do. simple enough to keep him busy and give him a sense of [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Best regards, - Barbara H Thank you all so much for the ideas. There are several that will help us keep him a little busier. He's doing minimal gardening and he does it only because it's his "job" but he's never been much for yard and garden work. However, I used the suggestion to build some boxes for planters and he liked that idea a lot. I think I can get him to paint them also. Dad has already rescued a dog from the pound. He's been a great companion for Dad. Sometimes he forgets and feeds him an extra meal. So far no harm. :-) Evelyn, I appreciated the list of 100 things. I saved it too. There were several things we're already doing and several more we can add to his activities. Oddly enough, Dennis suggested folding laundry and that's one of the things he does very well. His drawers are neater than mine! I take him homemade peanutbutter cookies pretty often so now I'll take the dough to his house and bake them there. I know he will enjoy that. That's on tomorrow's agenda. When I asked him if he would help me he wanted to go out and buy brand new cookie sheets. He's pretty happy about this one. Thanks again, you're all so helpful. - Barbara H >> I'm hoping some of you will have some ideas for busy work we can give Dad >> to do. simple enough to keep him busy and give him a sense of [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Thanks again, you're all so helpful. - Barbara H You are certainly welcome Barbara. I have no idea how I would have managed without the help of this group. My mother in law is gone now, but I continue to return to pass on the favor. -- Best Regards, Evelyn > I take him homemade > peanutbutter cookies pretty often so now I'll take the dough to his house > and bake them there. I know he will enjoy that. That's on tomorrow's > agenda. When I asked him if he would help me he wanted to go out and buy > brand new cookie sheets. He's pretty happy about this one. if he likes baking, you can also have him help make rolls, buscuits, or bread. if he likes cooking generally & is still safe handling a knife, if you're like most cooks you can always use help with chopping, washing, trimming, or picking over berries or de-stringing beans. if i had a willing cooks' helper, i'd make a lot more jam and probably can my own fruit. if you live where you can pay to pick fruit yourself, he might like that too, especially if you bake good pies! home canned fruits and homemade desserts are always better. ;^) >> I take him homemade >> peanutbutter cookies pretty often so now I'll take the dough to his house [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > good pies! home canned fruits and homemade desserts are always > better. ;^) True! I always got Ida sitting at the kitchen table with me, giving her a good cutting board, a newspaper to put the peels onto, and paring knife, and a medium size cutting board. I always gave her a knife that wasn't super sharp, but was still functional to cut veggies with. She needed instruction about what size to cut the vegetables into, but once I got her going, she was a great help. It is important to know that getting the person set-up yourself is the important thing here. Remember, they lose the ability to sequence their actions, so finding the right knife, board, etc. is something you need to do. Occasionally we had guests come to visit us (when you live in a recreational, it happens a lot), and I could sit her down with a bag of potatoes and she'd peel them with the lifetime of skill she had behind it. It was great to be able to do other things, knowing that one task was under control. My neighbor would occasionally granny-sit Ida. She gave her a crochet hook and yarn, and Ida would make winter hat after winter hat, and it kept her busy for hours. It was something she was so skilled at, that aside from the occasional boo-boo, which could always be pulled out, she knew how to do it by heart, no pattern or plan. My neighbor gave the hats to her church for their sale, and also to several friends who needed winter hats. Something like that wouldn't be for every alzheimer sufferer, but Ida still had that skill, and she retained it even late into her illness. SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn |
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