my mom in NH needs a hobby
1 answer
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Last updated: Dec 08, 2011
Q
My Mom has vascular dementia and is in a great NH. She never had any hobbies except cleaning and sewing. An Aide approached me the other day and said Mom was bored with TV and thy wondered if she would crochet or knit. My sister and I were planning on bringing some yarn, etc., but we realized that she would need a scissor. She is quite "with it" compared to most, and has already figured out how to remove her ankle monitor. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
A
Jytte Lokvig, PhD, coaches families and professional caregivers and designs life-enrichment programs and activities for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Her workshops...
Getting your mom something meaningful to do and bringing her the supplies for knitting is a very good idea. Fortunately, if your mom is knitting and doing crochet, she likely wouldn’t need scissors that often. You can look for blunt point scissors especially designed for children and if they still don’t feel safe, ask the staff to keep them for her at the nurse’s station.
You say that your mom also likes to clean. Talk to the staff about letting her help them with some of the daily tasks. She can set tables, sweep, dust, and organize, as long as she enjoys it. I would like to see much more direct involvement of residents in their daily lives, so they can feel they contribute to their community.
