I work as an activities assistant in a nursing home. Some of my patients have Alzheimer's/dementia. I have trouble finding craft/activities for them. Coloring gets very boring and I know they want to do more. I am also on a tight budget. With the warm weather coming I would like to start a garden club, but they are in wheelchairs. I am at a lost for ideas.
By joyce m mundie from Pittsburgh, PA
I know you said you were on a tight budget, but perhaps you could get some donations to build raised beds for the garden. I visited a senior citizen's home once and there was a great garden area made up of raised beds and large container garden options as well.
Also, have you thought of researching memory games designed to help dementia patients? I believe that there are some specifically used for them. Perhaps, something as simple as sitting in a circle and introducing yourself, then the next person introduces you and themselves and so on.
Barbara
Wonderful that you want to do this. National Gardening Association's Kid's Garden News has an archived article: "Gardens are for Everyone. . ." that has excellent ideas for gardeners in wheelchairs. Try searching their site, kidsgardening.com.
I also work as an activities assistant in a nursing home, here in FL. I know what you mean about trying to engage the dementia patients. We just did our gardening project yesterday. It went well. We planted sunflowers...which grow quickly and are stunning to look at. I'm hoping to get a garden club or boy scout troop to come in when it's time to transplant them into the ground to assist with that part of the project.
Other ideas about dementia patients, if possible and if they aren't too aggressive or combative, I've found they like to be given a job to do. Ask them to help you hand out supplies for an activity. Most don't do well in group settings, although we recently had a spelling bee and an Alzheimer's patient came in second place.
I understand the anger from KansasCindy. My dad also suffers terribly from Alzheimer's and since I live several states away, it is heartbreaking to think of my "once powerful, strong, CEO father" coloring in a nursing home. So, I am on both sides of this....as a daughter of a patient and as a worker in a nursing home.
I would love to bounce ideas with you, if you'd like to stay in touch. Please contact me through a message .
Good luck! I know exactly how hard your job is, how exhausted and overwhelmed you feel.
God bless you!
I work at an AL facility but we also have quite a few in wheel chairs but you might be able to find some one like we did that will donate time and the materials to make crates. They will lift the pots off the ground, so the can get to them more easily it would lift the plants up enough that they would be able to reach without bending over in the chair.
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I take care of my mom who has Alzheimer's. I feel badly that she is unable to feel useful.
