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My mother, who lives with me, has Parkinson's and mobility issues. She does not see well to read (even with reading glasses). She can't really hold a pencil to write. She can no longer crochet, which she used to love to do. I need some activity ideas for her to do. All she does is watch TV. I have ladies that stay with her during the day while I am at work. We cannot think of anything for her to do. She always seems so bored but she is not physical able to do anything.

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Can she do much with her hands at all? I ask because, there are a number of things online, if she is able to navigate on a computer or ipad. The print can be made very large, to accommodate her vision issue. When there is cognitive decline, things like that aren't very feasible, but, if she is still able to learn and type, she might find a lot of things on FaceBook. My mom is 79 and just got into it. She doesn't post much, but, she enjoys seeing photos, videos, recipes, etc.

There's also an app on ipad called Garage Band. You can play the piano or organ on the device, add other instruments, etc. It's really a lot of fun, even if you don't play music very well. And, you don't have to really read anything, just use your fingers to play.

You can also get apps that are of different sounds, like nature, wildlife, etc. I enjoy listening to those a lot. I'm no expert, but, someone who is very familiar with what is possible, might be able to provide you with a host of activities she might enjoy in this way. There might even be special devices for the sight impaired, if she wanted access to these apps.
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Audible books have been a saving grace for us. I pay 14.99 a month and it includes one book a month but there are other apps that have free audible books (mom wanted specific books so we chose audible).
Though my mom’s stroke affected so many aspects - (she cannot write well and has left side neglect, she also crocheted and misses it) she is still sharp as a tack with puzzles and trivia (our speech therapist told us about this book it’s great to help with cognitive issues) 399 games, puzzles and trivia specially designed to your brain young by Nancy Linde - ordered on amazon. Most of them are fun and we all enjoy them. My sister and niece and her friends even do some of the trivia with her by FaceTime along with crosswords. They do all the reading and writing but she does 90% of the answers.
Boxes note cards and she can dictate her helpers to write out the cards for her.
We have used clay and play dough. We have grown live butterfly’s and watched them go from caterpillars to releasing them.
We have made tracking boards to find colorful numbers. Hidden things through the room to find (like scavenger hunts) I have a lot of stroke focused rehab things like stacking cones- blocks etc for fine tuning motor skills (which her roommate at rehab with Parkinson’s also used). It’s hard because some things mom is like Nope they made me feel childlike (but if one of the helpers starts using the play dough and makes it fun then she may also look at it in the same way). I try to make it silly and laugh - coffee and cookie time while doing puzzles, trivia or clay animals (even if I’m doing most of the clay work and she directs me). We laugh at how some turn out.
We also use a lot of old school fine motor skill toys -also Velcro dart boards, make sun catchers - again wether she can direct where she wants colors or is able to do some and they help with the rest. Have the helpers google some crafting ideas with her and they show her pictures and she can pick out some things she wants to try with them aiding her. It’s hard. Because it’s finding something that will peek their interest - again if she likes trivia or any sort of mind puzzle type things I highly recommend the book above - I have learned things I forgot and it actually tells you in the book which part of your brain you are working out. As caregivers we have a lot on our plate so I would ask your helpers to google some ideas and have mom pick some simpler crafting projects - have her pick out more cards and she can dictate cards to mail out. If she likes flowers - start planting seeds and care and see how they grow in a small pot. I know I have other ideas and will check back - I’m just having a slow day :). Hope you find some thing to add the fun back in. 😊
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cggrandma Jul 2020
Thank you so much for you response. I will definitely order the book from Amazon and get some play dough. That sounds like fun!
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My mom has Parkinson's as well and watches a lot of TV. They could read through magazines with her? I do that with mom. Sometimes I have her help me pot plants. She likes to touch the leaves
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cggrandma Jul 2020
Thank you so much for your response. The ladies that sit with her do Bible studies. She does seem to like to hear them read.
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