Suggestions for daily activities

Grandma Sandy

I am having trouble finding things for my spouse to do each day. He wants to be doing something all the time, but some tasks he simply can’t do successfully. Any activity suggested for a guy who wants to be busy?

SusanB-dil

Hi Grandma Sandy - Do you have any local Adult Centers he could maybe go to through the day?  Also maybe some easy puzzles. If you go on Amazon, you could punch in 'activities for seniors' and get some ideas and activity items. My mom does like to use the adult coloring books sometimes.

Grandma Sandy

Susan b - thanks for the suggestions. No adult centers that I know of. He does not like puzzles (wish he did). He is more into doing something. For example, he likes to do the wash, fold clothes, load the dishwasher etc. but we run out of that pretty quickly and it doesn’t always get done correctly.

sunnydove

Sounds like you could use some activities that eat up some time so you don't run out so quickly. Some things that worked for us when Mom was still able was sorting buttons into colors. I'd have a big cookie sheet/roaster pan of mixed buttons and have her sort them into jars by color. Sorting and folding socks was another that was time consuming. Both of these activities I'd just undo after she was in bed so they'd need to be done again tomorrow. We also have stacks of photos that didn't make the photo album and I'd ask her to go through them. This activity has the bonus of possibly triggering some memories and or at least conversation when she'd ask who people were. All of these projects are always ended with a big, "oh thank you so much! You did SO much work!"

Grandma Sandy

Sunny dove, what great suggestions. I especially like the idea of sorting the photos. We do have plenty of those to work with. Thanks again

jfkoc

Last years bills etc can also be sorted any number of times as can recipies.

An important share given to me was that the idea of "correctly" is totally subjective!

Bppeaches01

My dad loves to play cards. Maybe thats something he would enjoy doing. When there is someone here to play with him they play rummy and if he doesn't have someone to play with he plays solitare.

SunnyMae

I was thinking for a man (especially of an older generation) sorting nuts and bolts (finding the right nut for the bolt) might be good. Similar to the button idea. You might be able to pick up a bunch of random nuts and bolts at garage sales or Goodwill.

bayviewgal

My husband is kind of going thru what your husband is going thru. He was diagnosed 2 years ago at the age of 58 with dementia and so much has been "taken" away from him. And his aphasia started about 9 months ago and it's hard to know what he wants to do because he struggles with his speech and he can't find the right words or ANY words for that matter. He had to quit working and so did I... he can no longer drive, and he was a biker...he's never really had a hobby but he loves listening to music and watching classic tv shows. When he DOES want to help me do anything, i just let him help and if he does it wrong, that's okay. I don't say anything to correct him. I just let him do it and when he's not looking i go back and correct it. I don't let it bother me cuz it's giving him a sense of accomplishment ... something he lost quite a while ago. So I know your struggles and wish you all the best. I keep telling myself that he's not performing brain surgery so it's okay to do it wrong.

Anjali Sunita

This is such a great thread. My mom is the same way. I find the all day stimulation so challenging.

i have a few kids games, word one called “boggle” we play. She plays solitaire on the computer. We have found some old tv shows like Seinfeld that she can follow (a show about nothing with lots of audience laughter), she used to be a writer and even if she can’t now I give her stuff to edit which sometimes she still can shockingly considering her state but she thinks she is still writing and helping/teaching me (point being anything kind of close to an old interest), she polishes things with a brass polish or wood polish, there’s an Indian game called carom that is like pool but you use fingers, loves adult coloring books, we have a bird feeder that she watches and a fish tank we upkeep that she watches … I lure her siblings into phone calls because my ears need breaks

sounds like a lot but thing is mostly she does these things while talking to me all day nonstop. I’m really struggling to find things she will do alone because I really can’t work and will be broke. So I’m following this thread too. Especially for stuff she can do on her own

Ksmithh

<3 Balloon Badminton is a good one
Card games, watch church service via YouTube, Roll & Kick Beach Ball Indoors or Outdoors, coloring, artful craft maybe.. hopefully this helps

eaglemom

So many great idea's have been mentioned.

Before my DH was diagnosed he never painted or did any type of craft. At an ALZ group meeting we painted, and it clicked. My DH was hooked. He watched YouTube and is totally self taught, but absolutely loves painting pictures. So, each year I turn them into a calendar and give them out to our friends. I then turn in any donations we receive from them to go towards the ALZ Walk. To me that's a win win.

He also became interested in clocks. He'd take them apart and 'try' to fix them. Some he could fix, others he could not. So I came up with the idea of making wind chimes from the clock parts.

He does love to grow vegetables in the garden. We'll do that in a few weeks. Then he'll water & check on them multiple times a day.

You just have to experiment to seem what peeks your LO's interest and work outward from their. We do easy games, bingo, etc also.

eagle

Klest79

Engaging in physical activities can be beneficial as it can help improve their physical health, cognitive function, and overall well-being ( here more info https://betterme.world/articles/workout-quiz/ ). For example yoga or Tai Chi: Tai Chi is a gentle form of martial arts that can help improve balance, flexibility, and relaxation.Additionally, it's important to start slowly and gradually increase activity levels as tolerated.

SDianeL

I "give" my husband easy housecleaning duties. Dusting, brining me the laundry hamper, washing dishes, vacuuming with the little swiffer vac. He organizes our pantry 3x a day. He's always been a neatnik but now is obsessive. He can't walk anymore because of his bad knees but he will walk out with me to check the car before dark. He doesn't drive anymore but the car is still his "baby" ... He also likes to read the newspaper. I don't think he remembers anything he reads but it seems to calm him. He doesn't like any computers or the phone so nothing electronic works. Newspapers and magazines he likes. In our are they only print a newspaper 2x a week and I'm sure soon they will stop that.

Pdxnewbie

My wife and I have started going through the house and 'decluttering'. We do a small section at a time and get rid of things we will never use again and throw away old expired foods in the pantry. It seems to work for us and gives my wife a feeling of doing something of value (which it is).

mrollins

I’m going to care for my mom 7a-3p starting in a few weeks. My dad has been having day and night caregivers 7 days a week but now that I’m unemployed I am wanting to do 4 days a week (Friday off and off week days and nights) I’m doing as much research as possible and appreciate daytime project suggestions Thanks

mrollins

Off weekend days and nights

Iris L.

Read about failure-free activities for PWD.

Iris

MN Chickadee

Welcome mrollins. Usually simple activities are best that won't frustrate them or push them too much. With my mother I did the following: simple chores like sweeping or folding laundry, sort beads or coins, listen to music, simple games like checkers or dominoes, do a simple crossword together, crafts that a child could do like a painting kit where there are no decisions to be made, playdough, volleyball or catch with a balloon or light ball, take a walk, feed the birds, picnic, go for a drive, look at old family photo albums, do a chair yoga video on youtube, set the table, bake cookies, do puzzles, hand massage and manicure, plant flowers or water the garden. Use zoom to contact out of town friends or relatives (having 2 of the 3 of you able to hold a conversation makes the PWD feel part of a social setting without having to offer much.) Often their loop is so short that you can do some of these multiple times a day and they won't remember. Also, many PWD don't need as much stimulation as you would. They're often good with some down time and may need time to decompress and just sit and rest after an outing.

Some areas have activities designed for PWD and their caregiver, like dementia specific choirs or memory cafe social hours. Your county's Agency on Aging or local Alzheimer's Association office should be able to tell you if there are offerings in your community.

cdgbdr

My DH sorts endlessly through old photos. He also has piles of CDs and he sorts through them and reads the inserts over and over. He reminisces about meeting the musicians when he worked security for concerts and all sorts of stories about the pictures. I wish he was more active. He will sit outside with binoculars and watch nature. We live in the country so that is pretty reliable.