Follow
Share

Looking for things mom could do to feel useful... she used to assemble newsletters for church and organizations but no one does paper newsletters anymore. She could maybe work on putting craft kits together or something... for kids... any kind of menial repetitive task that cg could help her with. I'd like to try her out w/ something like that to see if she will easily engage. She needs a purpose, even if for only certain times a day or week. Thoughts?

I understand. Some people are forever workers. You say her dementia is mild. My mother, too, wanted to help, not just to be taking up space. She had a dog to take care of back then, but she also kept trying to take care of household chores, which caused a few disasters. That time was difficult. I'd try to set her up with folding laundry, rearranging the silverware drawer, organizing cupboards, and such. In assisted living they had her set the table for meals. When her Alzheimer's progressed she forgot about helping for the most part. However, she really enjoyed having the battery activated interactive toy dog and cat I got for her. She thought they were real, took them for walks around the assisted living home, talked to them, even tried to feed them. Once she asked me if I thought there was something wrong with the dog, that maybe it wasn't real, but otherwise she enjoyed its company, as it barked, wagged its tail, sat up and down when touched. The cat wasn't as interesting to her, but she'd pet it and try to calm it when it meowed.
Helpful Answer (2)
Reply to ArtistDaughter
Report

Let her spend her days as she wishes! She has dementia and can’t be trained (much) to do new tasks. Give her a baby doll to carry around. Let her assemble giant Legos if she enjoys that. That’s enough. She doesn’t need a trained monkey! Just peace.
Helpful Answer (0)
Reply to Fawnby
Report

Being a caregiver means being flexible and creative. For my 100-yr old Aunt with advanced dementia I would have her fold a large quantity of kitchen towels several times a day, sort colored poker chips, and read aloud to me. I had to continuously keep her on task. Having her do those activities was less about "purpose" and more about wearing her out so that she slept better at night (which she did). You yourself can come up with envelopes and papers to stuff them with. You don't have to tell her it's not real. Can her fingers even do such a task? My Mom's are full of arthritis and she'd probably get 50 papercuts in the process.

You cannot be your Mom's entertainment committee - it requires too much of your time and energy. Why do you think she needs a purpose? What's she doing most of the day? Watching tv? Sleeping? Nothing?

More info would be helpful.
Helpful Answer (3)
Reply to Geaton777
Report

Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter