Busy hands

One of the things I am finding is that Mom is at a stage in her Alzheimers where she needs to be kept busy. She isn't able to sit still and simply watch tv or just sit and chat. Her hands have to constantly be engaged in something. Sometimes I can get her to cast on a few stitches and sit and knit with me. It rarely goes very far and she will take it all out if she finds a mistake, but she enjoys it in the moment and that is what is important. She also loves reading mail. We give her the mail that isn't important (junk mail, promo ads, the occasional  card or letter from friends). She will read it over and over again. Sometimes she will sit with a pen and underline various words that sound important to her. It's rather interesting the words she picks out. I've thought about how Mom might really be a spy and these random underlined words could be a clue to some other spy. (Maybe I'll write a book based on that someday.) We also have to be careful when she finds cards to fill out so she doesn't inadvertently mail them and we end up with a subscription for Consumer Reports Health or she sign herself up for a clinical trial for male impotency. 

One of the things I can do that keep her busy for hours at a time are buttons. And Mom has tons of buttons. I have found no fewer than four containers filled with buttons in her attic (which was created to give her a sewing/quilting/knitting area). I hauled a box of buttons down and found a pair of pants that were missing buttons and she was busy for two hours sorting and re-sorting the buttons. She was happy, I got things done, and her pants still don't have buttons on them, so we are good for at least another day of button sorting. 

I try to keep up with the dishes as she doesn't do them correctly (or healthily). She will "wash" the dishes in cold water and no soap and put them in the dish drain. I wait for her to clear out of the kitchen and consider them rinsed as I stack them in the dishwasher to run after she's gone to bed. I stopped trying to get her to leave them by telling her I would get to them later as I realize that she needs to have the activity. She needs to move and do things. Some days it is frustrating to try to get the dishes done and the kitchen clean so I can go sit for a few minutes. Those are the times I have to simply step back, let her putter (safely) in the kitchen and wait for her attention to go elsewhere. Then I can go back into the kitchen and do the project I had started. 

I've been trying to come up with other things to keep her busy. I had thought about having her sort jelly beans for me, but she ate all the green ones (the best ones) so that didn't pan out quite like I had hoped it would. I'm going to watch her over the next few days and see what else she comes up with that could lead to keeping her restless hands going. If you have found something that works for you, I'd love if you would share it. 

Michelle