activities Archives - Alzheimers Support

Baby Dolls Crafted for dementia and the Elderly

Baby Dolls Crafted for dementia and the elderly are such a blessing. I can’t explain how happy I am to see this video.

Last January, I wrote an article about the elderly, especially those with dementia, my mom included, and their love for babies. Actually, my story goes back to my Grandmother on my mother’s side

I was a young girl of eight or nine when my grandmother passed away. We lived far away, so except for summer vacations, I seldom saw her.

The last three years of her life were spent in a nursing home and I knew little of those days until my teen years. Then, my mother shared with me how horrendous the end of my grandmother’s life had been.

In late stage dementia, my Grandmother paced the halls of a nursing home looking for a newborn baby she was certain she had birthed. She pined away for this little baby that surely needed nursing. She was so devastated that she mourned for this baby until her death.

As my own mother entered her final years with dementia, I was careful to watch for this same need. She loved babies and would turn to follow every baby stroller we met while out shopping.

I did make certain that Mom had plenty of soft life-like-baby dolls, and she would cuddle them as though they were newly born. I was so thankful that she had been spared the sorrow and crisis that my Grandmother had endured.

If you have a loved one with dementia who likes baby dolls, I hope this video will help you see and understand how satisfying it can be for someone with dementia.

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Paradise Galleries Lifelike Realistic Paradise Galleries Hoot! Hoot! Baby Doll
Baby Doll: Little Peanut Baby Doll – 17

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Newborn- Real Girl My First Baby – 12 Inch Baby Huggums Soft Body Newborn- Real Boy Huggums Soft Body 12″JC Toys 20 JC Toys 16 Newborn Baby Doll

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Fidget Quilt for dementia, will it help your loved one

01/1935 Comments

A Fidget Quilt for Dementia

Anne Marie Rowe, seated, who started The Fidget Quilt for dementia Project, examines some of the work by talented quilters Annette Burns, left, and Rhonda Lowery. http://www.times-herald.com/

As children are often calmed by their favorite toy or blanket, a person with Alzheimer’s dementia or other Memory Loss may also be soothed by a Dementia Fidget Quilt.

Often, during later stages of dementia, their hands fidget as though agitated or searching for something to hold. The person with dementia may pull on their clothing or bedding, rubbing their hands up and down.

I remember Mom rubbing her hands constantly, twisting and wringing them, balling them up in her lap, then with open palms she’d rub them up and down the front of her slacks. I wish I had known about the Fidget Quilt back then.

Mom often carried an old purse. The inside was stuffed with a few of her favorite things; buttons, yarn, beads, a coin purse with quarters, nickels and pennies. Whatever small object she found and liked to touch, went right into her purse. She could sit for an hour and roll those coins around between her fingers.

Toting a purse around the house isn’t an activity that we would normally think of for an elderly person with memory loss, but it’s something that actually soothes some of the people with dementia. Whether it be an old purse or a Fidget Quilt for dementia, it keeps their hands busy.

The Fidget Blanket has pockets and zippers and buttons, and can keep their hands busy for hours. They can be large to lay across their lap or as small as needed.

It sort of reminds me of my children’s favorite Blankie. When my daughter was young, she refused to gives her up. The only thing I could think to do was to continually make it smaller. So I began to cut a 2″ strip from the outer edge on a weekly basis.

Eventually, that old raggedy blanket was not much larger than a napkin but my daughter still carried it around pushed up to her cheek for several months.

Have you found an activity that helps your loved one with fidgeting hands? Or have an experience with the Fidget Blanket. We’d love to hear about it and share with others hoping to find a way to soothe their loved one.

I found this Twiddle Kitty on Amazon, a sweet substitute if you aren’t a seamstress: Beads, zippers, buttons, ties and pockets! My Mom crocheted and could stay busy for hours crocheting round circles for hot pads. She longer remembered how to make the intricate things she’d done in her youth, but she did make gorgeous hot pads.

The Twiddle Kitty

Besides the Twiddle Kitty, Amazon also has the Adult Activity Apron. This might be a great help to keep fingers busy,

The Activity Apron for Alzheimer’s / dementia Busy Fingers

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Alzheimer’s Activity Puzzles are Appropriate for the Person with dementia and Advanced Alzheimer’s

11/09Leave a Comment

Alzheimer’s Activity Puzzles and Appropriate Activity for the person with dementia

I know how difficult it is to find activities for your loved one who has Alzheimer’s. If your loved one is like my Mom, she was always happier if she had something productive to do. Raised on a farm as a child, Mom held to the theory that work should be done from sun-up to sun-down.

If some of that work happened to be pleasant, that was a plus for her. Her favorite thing to do was to sweep our back porch. And sweep it she did—hundreds of times a day.

Pre-Alzheimer’s, my Mom loved puzzles. 1,000-Piece, jigsaw puzzles spread their pieces across a folding table in her bedroom. The arm of her recliner supported stacks of newspapers saved specifically for their crossword puzzles; and her floral Tote bulged with seek and find puzzle books.

Current brain research shows that some forms of mental exercise, like jigsaw puzzles, can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. Jigsaw puzzles are especially helpful as they stimulate multiple areas of the brain at once. Traditional jigsaws, however, are too difficult for advanced Alzheimer patients, and tend to cause agitation and frustration.

As Alzheimer’s progressed for Mom, she lost the ability to sort through 1000’s of pieces, whether it be jigsaw puzzle pieces or words on a printed page. Mom needed simpler puzzles, yet most were too childish to interest her. In the end, my Mom was only able to crochet a single chain stitch.

Activities are so important that I wish I had known about Springbok Puzzles before my Mom passed away.

SpringBok Puzzles have created a collection called Puzzles to Remember which are specifically designed for the person with Alzheimer’s. The Puzzles to Remember are the same overall dimension as the 500-piece puzzles, but they only have 12-36 pieces. A smaller number that is easier to manage by the person with memory loss.

The actual puzzle pieces from the Puzzles to Remember Collection are much larger than traditional children’s jigsaw pieces. They are also easier for Alzheimer’s patients to manipulate. Plus, the nostalgic and cheerful themes are chosen for their ability to provide gentle stimulation and positive reinforcement.

Puzzles to Remember are inspired by the work of Max Wallack, a family caregiver who saw, firsthand, the impact of Alzheimer’s on his great grandmother, and the calming effect of jigsaw puzzles.

Besides outstanding puzzles created specifically for the Alzheimer’s Patient, Springbok Puzzles also has a charitable giving program called Springbok Cares. From the sale of special puzzles, they are able to give financial support to charitable organizations that support loved ones fighting Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer. Springbok also supports other good causes, and recently became a proud sponsor of the Kid’s Wish Network.

There are many more Puzzles that are perfect for your loved one from the wonderful Puzzles to Remember! Below is only a sample of the many wonderful puzzles with larger pieces for the adult with Alzheimer’s.

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Springbok Symbols of Summer Jigsaw Puzzle (36-Piece) Springbok Garden Helper Jigsaw Puzzle (36-Piece)