10 "Boredom Busters" for Frail Seniors

My mother has recently been moved to assisted living because of worsening dementia, giving up her dog, gardening and cooking (among other things) in the process. She's darning socks and interested in sewing together a sweater she was working on. She still tries email but her spelling and language skills are leaving her. I'm going to try simple knitting but not sure she'll be up to it. Really important topic.

angela groun­dwater

3 months ago

I volunteer in a nursing home where I bring my children in. It is a particular win with the dementia sufferers... I think there should be more children around the elderly - lots of field trips from child carers and nurseries..

Chris Ballar­d

about 1 year ago

These are good ideas for those of us that are still at home, too. Sometimes the semi-solitude does get boring. I think it aids the restlessness!

My youngest unmarried sister and a maid keeps my mom company at home. I try to go over as often as i could and i realized that Mom enjoys talking about her past. I learned a lot about our family, grandparents, greatgrandparents and extended families who came from as far as Burma and China as a result! Where we come from, we enjoy henna (a plant based paint) and use it to decorate our hands and feet with it. Henna is especially a celebrate painting activity for the bride at her wedding. So some times we do this together. Mom loves having henna in her hair too to hide her grey.

Kate Rauch

over 3 years ago

Yes! Fish, birds, and small animals are great ideas -- many thanks. (Some nursing homes are open to these, as well.) Guinea pigs are gentle, easy to care for, and can really bond with their humans just by being held (they show affection with little nuzzling sounds). Most humane societies and shelters can provide good advice on matching pets with people, based on mutual needs. Board games and puzzles are also good standbys; excellent ways to keep the mind active when the body needs to be more low key. And there's so many to choose from -- you can mix it up.

My 87 year old Mom spends most of her time in bed or sitting in her bed-side chair. She loves watching her two pets - a beta fish and a parakeet. TIPS: Get the brightest colored beta you can find and keep it in a small, plain, clear vase. That makes it easy to see because it is a bright colored object moving in clear space. If there are decorations in the vase, the fish is hard to pick out visually. We keep it on or near her bed table so it's nearby when she wants to watch it. It's inexpensive, easy to take care of, and quiet. She loves watching it. The parakeet is kept in an aquarium, with a wire grid on top. It's in her line of sight on a table in front of a window. The bird does need toys and ours is very acive. Mom watches him all day long and enjoys his antics. The aquarium keeps the area clean and the bird loves it much better than he did his cage. Again, the clear glass is not distracting like the wires of a cage, and it's easier to watch what's going on inside. Again, get a colorful bird so it stands out against the clear glass and toys.

Great list. Mom and I play scrabble and always have a challenging jigsaw puzzle going.