Ideas to help loved one stay mentally stimulated

Caring-for-2

I apologize for the length of this, but it's my first post so I want to give a little back info... 

My father (diagnosed this month) has always been a "techie" using his phone to order household supplies /equipment.  He started ordering things like a whole security system (already had one) and other expensive items. 

He was also getting sucked in by spammers and those phishing for info to steal his identity.

We were heartbroken to have to "lose" his phone about 6 months ago. He is always looking for it, trying to find his online calendar, etc.

Here's my question for you...Do you have ideas for electronics he can "play with" that do not allow him to go online?  Here's what we've tried :

1. Phone with "parental controls." We could not find any that were for adults with cognition problems. 

2. DS games.  They were too challenging where you need to go to one place to find the key, get back to the treasure chest, open it for the clue to the next step - - way too challenging for him. 

3. Laptop --he immediately began deleting items.  Items such as our Word documents regarding his finances, medical history, etc. (luckily I was able to retrieve items from the trash bin on the laptop) 

4. I tried a handheld solitaire game, but all of them I could find are very dark screens and difficult to see - - not many pixels per inch so it looks like 1984 computer screens. 

5. I currently let him play solitaire on my smart phone with me sitting on another recliner next to him. He is so happy and relaxed doing that.  He will play for 90 minutes at a time (longer sometimes).  Everytime I hand it to him, he is SO appreciative. When he doesn't have things to do, he is VERY fidgety and bored. 

The problem with him playing on my phone is that:

A) I am there 3-1/2 days a week, so he has nothing he enjoys the other days. We've tried board games, Jenga, assembling disciple crosses like he used to do as a craft, and anything else we can think of. 

he gets sucked into installing other games (there are usually 5-6 more than when he started. Nothing that costs money, I just have to delete them each time) 

C) he recently started "exploring" more, going into my Facebook and emails which can be a problem... 

Have any of you come up with things to keep him excited? (he dislikes word search, coloring, crosswords, etc.)

Thank you in advance, and again, sorry this is so long. 

sandwichone123

How about a cellphone that isn't on a plan? It has wifi, but you can download what you want on there and not save your wifi network, so he can use the games but not get into your facebook?

My dh has an Amazon tablet he uses similarly, but the screen is bigger. He also watches old TV shows on it. Of course, that would require an Internet connection and parental controls. If he doesn't have access to credit cards/bank info he's harder to scam, too. My dh still has one credit card, but I'm always alert.

harshedbuzz

For mental stimulation as per "best practices", something social would be good. A Silver Sneakers workout class (if you find an inclusive one and someone attends with him) could be good. A day program with other men you could sell as "the club" might work too.

For keeping him occupied, a lap top, smart phone or tablet that isn't connected to the internet or cellular might work. He could play pre-installed games.

MN Chickadee

I wonder about an older smart phone, like the one a family member replaced in the last few years. No phone or data plan, very few apps installed, and have it so you have to enter a password he doesn't know to install anything. I know at least iPhones have a setting where the apple ID has to be entered to add any apps. Nothing with accounts like facebook or banking. At least he could use whatever you install for him like games. There are also phones and ipads designed for seniors (look up Grandpad.) I don't have experience with them but they may be easier to keep him out of trouble. Another option may be getting him a chromebook or inexpensive laptop and just letting him mess with it. That way he couldn't delete anything of yours. Chromebooks must be a bit impervious from a software perspective since many schools hand them out to small children to take home. I would look into ways such as parental control settings to block websites such as his bank, credit cards, amazon and his favorite stores etc so he can't try to do anything involving money. It may be time to change bank, credit/debit card numbers and keep them where he can't find them. That way he if he does find his way into shopping he won't have a card that works and won't get far. If he is using any tech or even answering the telephone, have scams on the radar. You might want to freeze his credit to protect his assets from scammers. It happens more than you think. 

You may find a solution that works for a little while, though the days of him being him to operate technology at all may be pretty limited. It's a skill that tends to go early.   

sunnydove

If the only problem with the laptop was him deleting stuff, just set up his own user account. When I was working I set up a separate account on my laptop so I could skype with Mom when I was at work. I didn't want the caregivers to have access to all my personal info so I just set up a different user account. His desktop screen will only have on it what you put there.

Stellar Daughter-In-Law

I would get a cheap tablet for him to use exclusively.  Limit the settings only to things you want him to be able to access.  You could download a new movie each time you are there so it doesn't have to stream live.

SusanB-dil

Hi Caringfor2 - I think 'Stellar' and 'sandwichone' have excellent suggestion with a tablet.

Solitaire games, checkers, backgammon, and a myriad of others (many are free) - that you can play 'off-line'.  If he knows the password to the wifi, you may have to change it... However, once you set up the tablet, download the games, and then take it 'off wifi', he would still be able to play to heart's content - wherever and whenever.  Unless he knows the wifi password, he would not be able to do anything further.