Activities for my 66 year old husband with dementia

Twyla

What are some activities to do with your love ones besides watching tv. My husband sometimes color in a giant coloring book but not long. He has fidget boards. He will start fiddling with it but not long. He has a head phone and will listen to music. I have Lego blocks as other things he starts and stops after maybe 5 minutes or less. Any suggestions are welcomed.

dvellio

Since my wife and I got married 18 years ago we have always done something together in the evening. For years we would either read a chapter in a book after we went to bed or listen to an audio book. After her Alzheimer's diagnosis we began watching a movie on TV every night. We've chosen to watch old movies and I find that YouTube TV has hundreds of them. She liked the “Murder She Wrote” series then we watched “Columbo”, “Rockford Files”, and many other old TV series. I have also discovered a lot of old music and video files on YouTube that she enjoys.
We're still doing that and it's an hour and a half or two hours that I devote to sitting with her holding hands and sharing that experience with her. Her hearing is so bad that I'm sure she doesn't understand most of what is said but she can follow along with the pictures and it is time we spend together. It is important for me and I'm sure it gives her comfort. I try not to let anything else ever interfere with that time together.

Twyla

dvellio That is so sweet what you said. That special time means so much to them. My husband and watch TV and in the mornings I read the Bible to him.

Bob

I will duplicate the question because I too have a similar problem... what are some activities to do with your loved one with Alzheimer's besides watching TV? My wife retired after teaching Kindergarten for 35 years. She was always VERY craft-oriented... made greeting cards, made articles of clothing, knitted, crocheted, made wall hangings, did Japanese flower arranging, etc., and she would sit and work on puzzles with me. Now she's lost both the creativity and the attention span to do any of that. I've tried the coloring approach. I've tried the Lego approach. But not with much success. Mostly we watch TV (binging lots of Hallmark and Lifetime movies),she leans against my shoulder, we hold hands, and she often dozes off. I actually love this because of the sense of closeness we have, but it isn't very stimulating for her. When the weather is good she does like to walk (walker or wheelchair depending on the length of the 'walk' and the terrain) in the neighborhood or local parks. Unfortunately, she gets cold VERY easily so walking in Fall, Winter and Spring here in Ohio can be 'iffy.' So, I am at my wits end trying to find activities that are more stimulating than watching TV.

dshikoski

You should be glad that your husband watches TV. My wife has Alzheimer's and she will not watch movies, TV or read books. I think it is because she cannot follow the plot since she cannot remember the parts previously played. Instead she goes through her old greeting cards and obits and tell me we have funerals to go to and sympathy cards to send. I wish she would watch TV because that would be something we could do together.

Elmy

My mother also cannot keep a plot in mind so doesn't read or watch movies. But we have found that she enjoys nature shows a great deal, or movies where the visuals are the main attraction. We recently watched "Elephant Whisperers", which is about half an hour. She also enjoys all sorts of sports now (including hockey which she never watched before). She does not take much initiative any more, but if I put something in front of her she sometimes get caught up in the task (sorting socks, cutting up an apple, planting pansies in a pot, cleaning a pot with a brillo pad. We have a basket of photos of different places and people, on the back of each we include details about who the person is and where they live (since she can't summon up all of that information).

Finigan58

My situation is similar in that my 67 year old wife doesn't hold interest in most activities more than 5 minutes.
She can no longer do the knitting, crochet, sewing, crafts, that she used to.
She is physically healthier than I am and I walk with her at least 2 miles a day , weather permitting. But this is tough on my old arthritic knees and hip replacement.
She loves to go places. Shopping anywhere. So we go to the store and walk around can't afford to buy something every time, but she is happy to go.
She isn't interested in TV , but I have found that U tube has videos of walks in the woods and scenery with music. Since she loves to walk and nature, these hold her interest for an hour or more.
It's worth a try for you all, if your loved one isn't ambulatory it still offers the experience of a walk in nature.
I also plan to walk the local enclosed mall as weather turns cold, as long as I can keep from spending too much!