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Crafting Ideas for Seniors Experiencing Dementia
A Bounty of Fun Crafts to Do With Seniors
Spring is in the air, and the weather may not yet be exactly perfect for outdoor activities with your senior loved one. But the turning of the season can fun crafting ideas for seniors, even those experiencing Alzheimer’s or Dementia or other complications caused by other conditions. With all this in mind, it’s important to remember that seniors experiencing dementia and all of us need to engage with life in some meaningful and active way.
While seniors with Alzheimer’s or Dementia may or may not be in a position to work or enjoy the activities that they once used to, they can still get a sense of accomplishment and purpose from working on something special. For many seniors experiencing dementia, crafts and crafting are an excellent outlet for pent up energy, and a meaningful way to engage in something ongoing and special. Here are four terrific ideas for spring craft projects that you can work on with your senior loved one coping with dementia.
1 – Flower Arranging and Elder Care
It’s the perfect time for getting vases and flower frogs and fresh cut flowers for a little flower arranging session. This spring craft project can be as complex or as simple as the senior loved one whom you are tailoring it to.
Seniors who still enjoy getting outside or working in the garden can select their own flowers to work with at a local shop or florist, or even grow and/or cut their own flowers for arrangements. Seniors needing a little more assistance can have flowers cut for them and work with arranging them for display on their own or with help.
2 – Crafting and Seniors
Make cards for the birthdays you will celebrate for all the year. Find out how to use the Cricut and make pop-up cards. Experiment with flower arranging. Playdoh sculpting can be a very simple and easy activity to do with your senior, or it can be a complex, life-long pursuit. In conclusion, it’s just a question of ability, available materials, and the joy of making something fun.
So, depending on your senior’s unique situation, you could work with easy materials as simple as clay or homemade or purchased play dough. Intermediate materials and techniques may include papier mache; or more demanding and exacting sculpting like carving. In addition, sculpting can be returned to day after day, until a work is complete.
3 – Grandma Always Loved Baking…
Another lovely activity for many seniors to participate in is baking. Baking, like sculpting and flower arrangement, can be tailored as an activity to the interest, abilities, and needs of each individual senior. Make a special dessert with someone in the neighborhood.
Some seniors may require more assistance than others, but seniors of just about all skill-levels and abilities can participate in making a batch of cookies or fresh-baked rolls. In conclusion, our senior loved ones get to participate in eating and sharing the results of their efforts, too!
4 – Less Complex Tasks for Some Seniors
Not all seniors experiencing dementia or Alzheimer’s will retain the ability that may be needed to participate in the crafts listed above, but that does not mean that there are no crafts for them to take part in.
In fact, simple tasks may be just the ticket for seniors experiencing more profound dementia. For these seniors, sorting tasks and matching tasks can be a great way to wile away a spring afternoon as you spend some time in each other’s company.
Spring Crafts for Seniors of All Ages and Abilities
Finally, here are some extra ideas:
Outdoor activities: Explore the nearest park with a Google search “wheelchair park near me” Go on nature walk and pick flowers.
Games: I-Spy game, Hide-and-seek, Blow Bubbles and pop them.
Arts and crafts: Decorate eggs, cookies or cupcakes, doodle on flower pots, or the driveway with chalk, paint a t-shirt.
Gardening: Plant an edible garden, grow some fresh vegetables, or make your own fairy garden.
Other activities: Fly a kite, look for four-leaf clovers, make a bird feeder, and have a picnic.
This is a short list of craft ideas to enjoy with seniors experiencing Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Seniors can often participate in some way in just about any craft activity, and by doing so, improve and maintain their quality of life through engagement.
We all need to feel like we’re doing something, and crafts can help to provide a sense of purpose to those who may not have the ability to engage with life in the way they once did. Try one of these ideas with your senior this spring.
Honor Our Older Loved Ones Where they Live; Specialists at Golden Placements can help:
Obviously, these tools to better communication can help you help our Older Loved Ones. Firstly, Golden Placements helps you manage resources. We take care of the leg work in finding the best living situation for your Golden Year parent, sibling, loved one. Second, GPS has ideas gathered over years of experience by being Senior Life Specialists. Next, Portland Senior Living and their various options from our Golden Girls specialists are IS NO COST. Community living and finding the right living choice for you or your loved one is important. We help you navigate the details. Finally, we give you even more resources to help you learn more about our services:
- You can call us today or continue to read more about Long Term Care Planning with our friends at ACL
- Oregon Defines and Describes ADLs for us legally here: Long Term Care
- Golden Placements RESOURCES to find CARE Services
- Quality locations for you Senior Loved One with the Golden Girls
- Senior Living Near Me – Adult Home Placement
- Explore Residential Care Homes for Older Loved Ones “near me”
More Articles: Retirement gifts, new grandparent gifts, retirement benefits, and assisted living
Diane Delaney, Placement Specialist Extraordinaire
Delaney is the founder of Golden Placement Services. She began this business with a healthy dose of compassion for helping families make educated decisions regarding senior placement. Focused to relieve stress in uncertain senior housing crucial moments. Diane brings about loving change of lifestyle with grace. Additionally, Diane is an accomplished executive manager, Director of Operations in senior housing. Emphatically, she enjoys sharing her full spectrum experience of transition process for older family members. Read more from Senior Placement Specialist Diane: Ultimate Senior Living Resource Guide >>
LaVona Tomberlin, Senior Placement Specialist
Tomberlin brings a high level of education and experience to you as your Senior Placement Specialist at GPS. She loves writing about improving the lives of Aging Adults. Working in private care, Geriatrics, Memory Care and in-home care for over 36 years. Plus, she holds Master of Psychology Behavioral Health with the goal of advocating for those who needed a voice. Basically, LaVona believes helping families make good decisions relieves stress in uncertain times makes life worthwhile! Ready to Learn More, Read articles from Placement Specialist LaVona: End of Life Transition a heart felt Guide >>
Gwenn McNeal2023-03-09Golden Placement Services answered! It’s really difficult to have to place an aging parent into a facility, but our family knew it was time. So I did some research, called 15 facilities, and managed to get on one wait list. I also called two companies that assist with finding homes, and they said they could not help. We were concerned we wouldn’t find a place, and if we did, it could be a very poor choice for our dad. Then I was given Golden Placement Services phone number and I spoke with a lovely woman named LaVona. That’s when everything changed! LaVona listened to our family’s needs, was understanding, and within days, she had arranged places for us to visit. How she found them, I don’t know, but she did! She met us there, listened some more, answered questions, and offered sage advice. We will forever be grateful for Golden Placement Services help in making this very tough decision. We absolutely know that my dad is in the right place to spend the rest of his life. And, we wouldn’t have that assurance today, had we not been connected with their wonderful service! They have blessed us greatly and we are sharing their information with others we know who are going through the same process.
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