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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)

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Ravensburger also offers a wonderful collection and have Puzzles that fit most every walk of life, auto mechanics, airline pilots, etc.

 Ravensburger Under The Sea – 35 Pieces Puzzle Ravensburger Busy Airport – 35 Piece Puzzle

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Waste Collection 35 Pieces Frame PuzzleRavensburger Dinosaur Playground – 35 Piece PuzzleRavensburger Land of Candy Puzzle (35-Piece)

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Filed Under: Activities, Care Tips, Holidays Tagged With: activities, alzheimer's puzzles, brain exercise, Puzzles, Springbok Alzheimer's Puzzle

Can mental Exercise help Dementia

06/017 Comments

Can mental exercise help dementia?

If you are in your 50’s or 60’s, this message is mostly about prevention. But it’s also about having some fun with Brain exercises whether you are someone with Alzheimer’s dementia or their caregiver.

My husband and I, both in our 60’s, are  more cognizant of the games we play since my Mom’s battle with Alzheimer’s. Stimulating our brain is a must, whether it’s with the Brain Quest DVD Games, the latest bestselling novel, a crossword puzzle, the Sunday newspaper or a good game of Trivial Pursuit. Research shows we need to–Do something to keep our mind active everyday!

Even in late stage Alzheimer’s my mom would sit and watch my husband and son play cards for hours. She would smile and giggle and laugh out loud at their antics. Of course, they knew they had an audience as well. We were never sure if she realized what they were doing or just enjoyed being in their company. Playing cards is a good way to keep your brain active.

When Mom first noted memory loss, she used to say she had “Used her brain up.  She didn’t need to stress it further.” But the truth is quite the opposite. The more you stay active with physical activity as well as mental, the better you will do.

In early stages of this disease, it is fairly easy to find ways to occupy your patient. They want something to do, but need someone to show them how to do it sometimes. Mom’s first love was crochet. She would crochet for hours in her youth but had forgotten all but the simplest chain stitch by middle stage Alzheimer’s.

Even then she could crochet a single stitch and create a chain.  With this simple pattern Mom crocheted hundreds of doilies for friends and family in very late stage Alzheimer’s. When she’d forgotten how to crochet entirely, she turned to Seek ‘n Find puzzle books. Mom loved to color.

One of her happier moments was when I brought a jumbo box Crayola Crayons with a built-in sharpener on the bottom of the box. If she’d ever had a box that big or a sharpener built-in, she had no memory of it and was astounded that such a thing existed. That giant box of crayons was on permanent display in our living room and was the first thing shown to every visitor who arrived.

Later on, Mom would share with everyone who visited that she had actually done all the art work on our walls. (Of course she had not, but I don’t think the Native American Artist who had actually done the work would have been offended at all.)

I know, sometimes there is aggravation and frustration with the impetuous and foolish behavior of the person with Dementia on occasion, but  if we stop and learn to see the world through their eyes, it can be quite enlightening.

We have only to remind ourselves about their condition, their mind is traveling  backwards in time. Brain exercise has no affect on their mind now. It is too late for them to learn or rejuvenate their brain from the damage done by Alzheimer’s. Though their body is 70-80 years old, they have the  mind and appreciation of the world similar to that of a child.

Mom was so proud of her jumbo crayons and coloring book that her only wish before she died was to have every single page colored so that she could pass it on to her grandchildren as an heirloom.

Yes, I still have it…6 years later (now 10 years later.) It means so much to me that I’ve kept it for myself ….at least for now.

A few Ways to Exercise Your Brain:

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 Springbok PuzzlesCheck Price Crayola crayons, 64 Count (52-0064)Check Price Springbok Alzheimers PuzzleCheck Price Melissa & Doug Primary Lacing BeadsCheck Price Special Needs Sensory Activity Apron (Children & Adult Sizes)Check Price The Everything Giant Book of Word Searches: Over 300 puzzles for big word search fans!Check Price I Love Lucy: The Complete SeriesCheck Price

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Filed Under: Activities, Care Tips Tagged With: brain activity, brain exercise, prevent demenia

One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers for Brain Exercise

05/13Leave a Comment

BRAIN TEASERS

One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers: Good Clean Puzzles for Kids of All AgesThese Brain Teasers are good exercise for the BRAIN

If your loved one with Alzheimer’s dementia is unable to do them with you, I bet they will enjoy watching everyone else play the games.

My Mom use to love it when my son and husband played cards. She didn’t remember how to play but she would pull her chair right up beside them and giggle the whole time they played. She loved hearing and watching them, and becoming part of the play!

It has become common knowledge that Exercising our brain with word games, card games, computer use, and fun family activities such as the Nintendo Wii or Lumosity can actually delay any symptoms of dementia and keep our brains working better–longer. A busy active brain may be a healthier brain!

Some of the Mysteries and Brain Teasers in a few of these books will be more intense than a person with Alzheimer’s would be able to do. They shouldn’t be encouraged to do anything that takes them to the brink of frustration.

They can become easily frustrated if offered activities that they are unable to complete such as  pushing buttons on a telephone. If doing a beading project, limit the number of beads available. If they are doing a painting project, limit the variety of paints so that their choices are smaller. Fewer choices, mean less frustration for the person with Alzheimer’s.

If they can’t play the game you want to play, offer them a coloring book or 35 piece Jigsaw puzzle. And be as interested in their game as you are your own. Everyone will have fun and learn something too. Don’t forget Ladies love baby dolls at every age. And grown Men love puppy dogs too.

Filed Under: Activities, Care Tips, communication, Healthy Aging Tagged With: brain exercise, brain teasers, strengthen brain power

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