Keeping the Mind of Seniors Busy, Dementia Alzheimer's Job Ideas for Men

How does one go about entertaining seniors to keep their minds busy? It's not easy. "No" is often a favorite term especially from the Alzheimer mind. Maybe it's the last decision one can make - having a choice. Seniors often use the TV to entertain themselves but I've observed it can be mind noise without a reaction. No laughter or understanding of the plot. It could be a hearing deficiency or a lack of comprehension. 

I highly recommend you seek out a senior day care in your area. JABA has kept Bob active and moving with plenty of hugs from caregivers. We prefer it to home health care services.

My father passed away 5 years ago from ALZ and it was a painful experience, worse than painful, the worst. He fell victim to selecting a repeated unstoppable task. In his final only month of non-home care in a facility, he wanted to die and to state it bluntly, thankfully did. 

My 94 year old father-in-law Bob lives with us and he has dementia but not ALZ and is very agreeable. He can still get up and walk with a walker short distances. He worked his entire life in construction, managing large projects and building homes. His mind has been programmed to have a job! I've noticed that he has little comprehension of what is around him and you need to suggest tasks to him. I hand him the stretch band to exercise each day and his hearing aids each morning. I give him a little cup of medicine for him to take and ask him if he has gotten up recently and roll his walker to him. I offer him a puzzle or book. He will not typically initiate but is happy to do things if you make him aware of them. If you have a loved one just sitting and watching TV all day you might discover that direction and activity creation on your part is crucial.

It's not easy thinking of projects to keep a mind busy, especially a man's. Women tend to gravitate toward crafts and making things, men want to work or do sports. 

We decided one of the best ways to entertain Bob was to build something in the house. It provided him great joy and pride to see his son building as he once did. I previously had a pantry in our old house and we decided to start building. We involved Bob asking him all sorts of construction questions and gave him plans to analyze. It got him out of his chair to come and watch Anthony build or stroll by out of curiosity (sneaky way to get him to exercise).

During the project my husband found a huge bucket of screws, nails, washers, bolts, etc. We asked Bob if he would like to sort these items as part of the project. He was completely engrossed. He did have one delirious episode we believe caused by a new pain medicine. We asked him to put in his hearing aids and he claimed they were already in. Anthony looked in his ear and he had put a wall anchor in it (tweezers were needed to remove it). We also had to be extra diligent to sweep around his chair for falling parts so it was not the safest of projects but we made it out without injury and he loved doing this for months. Bob wanted to participate. Look for ways to include seniors in projects, you might be surprised what they want to do.

In Bob's younger years, they always had a puzzle out on the table so this was familiar to him. We learned to give him 50 - 100 piece puzzles as that is reasonable for his mind to manage and fits on the board that swings over his recliner. He does go to day care 3 days a week and they have more complicated larger puzzles and better lighting which he can work. 

My father sold eyeglasses for many years and played golf. He also sold eyeglasses leash cords so I would mix a bunch of colors up and ask him to sort them. It kept him busy for a short while. ALZ is a much more difficult nut to crack! My mother had a little putting area set up but he grew tired of it. He loved to eat and go to restaurants so mom made this his main activity and it worked for many years. It was the way she got him to shower and she would take him out nearly every day!

Another hobby of my father-in-law's was coin collecting. We swapped out the screw mix for coins (it was safer) and he was happy analyzing them with a magnifying glass and sorting them by denomination into medicine bottles. He also helped roll them if I counted them out first. I would re-mix them and the process would begin again.

We also have a lot of photo albums and get carpentry books from the library for him to read. He can spend hours pouring over them. My father was totally disinterested in such things. My cat Gus was fun for him to pet but he could be nippy and sadly passed early this year :(

Bob is slowing down now but from time to time we ask him if he needs a nail, coin or puzzle fix to keep him busy. It's a challenge to hit the mark with dementia seniors but try to think of their past and introduce something simple and see if you can get their minds occupied. I don't think anyone wants to be stuck in front of a TV but it could simply be that no other options are offered.

~Rebecca

New Year 2018, where did 2017 go? Food changes on the horizon.

Amazing Fall Sky on Forsythia Hill

The first part of 2017 was a big blur. My father passed away in May from Alzheimer's and the lovely Spring flowers were hardly noticed, for the exception of the daily drive through neighborhoods to see my father in the Nursing Home during his last days.

I've been wanting to write about our family experience with this disease but have been unable to relive this devastating experience. My hope is to one day to write in order to help someone else that is in this hopeless situation.

It certainly makes one want to never get this disease and do everything possible to change the course. Drug after new drug tests fail and little snippets of potential causes are periodically proposed, but no concrete evidence has been found. A few weeks ago they claimed to think sleep disturbances contributed to Alzheimer's. My father never had a bad day of sleep in his life. Just yesterday I heard someone say they believe some people diagnosed with ALZ really have Mad Cow disease. Well that's a distinct possibility as my father did consume a lot of meat. Obesity and sugar consumption certainly fit the bill too.

Jethro is still protecting the ladies on our mini farm.

With each passing year I try to improve my diet and tread less on the environment by making life changes. Beginning in 2018 my husband and I have decided to consume less dairy products by removing the cheese blocks, sour cream, and yogurt from our grocery list. If you have not yet watched What the Health, a movie that could be called "the life changing movie of 2017", I recommend it. I'm still not convinced that eggs that I raise in my backyard are the root of all evil but it got my attention. I do believe that factory farm meat and eggs, and fish farms ARE the root of all evil and terribly unhealthy not to mention a cruel existence for so many animals. The premise of the movie is that in the United States we have a health care system focused on disease control by pill not prevention. While watching, just remember that claims to find the solution to perfect health are often called "a fad".

Strangest photo of 2017 - Gus and Cesar spotted together!

Sure, every day some new revelation is discovered; Eggs were in, then were out, now are in. Diet fads come and go. One constant seems to be that the major U.S. diseases; Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, Autoimmune Disease, and Alzheimer's are either inflamed by meat and dairy or occur because of diets rich in it. Diabetes is epidemic in this country. I want to live a life with the least amount of suffering and if I can make gradual changes to my diet to improve my health and potentially stave off these issues then I'm all in. Personally I believe GMO's are our enemy as is high fructose corn syrup and barley malt. Simple to avoid as they don't add any value to the taste. Common sense tells you that any product - food or cosmetic - should have the least amount of ingredients and be made of things you recognize!

Beach trip with Jenn to Southern Shores

Over the years I've set several goals and it's helped me stick to them by making a public pledge in my blog. I still only purchase recycled toilet paper and paper towels, always bring a fabric bag when shopping, don't eat chicken or turkey, eat my own chicken eggs or organic when out of season and don't drink cow's milk. I'm actually excited to remove 3 more dairy products! I'm still guilty of an occasional weak moment concerning hamburger or pork but it has evolved to be a desperation moment when I'm tired or craving Barbeque (I just bought my first 2 cans of Jackfruit to turn into BBQ, hoping that does the trick)! I'm stuck as far as coffee creamer as I have yet to find a dairy substitute that tastes GOOD. Fish are so polluted or fed GMO meal so that too has nearly been scrapped from my list. I really hate labels such as vegetarian or vegan as it can come across as boastful and is also too restrictive in my journey. My father's death certainly brought home the thought, "you only live once". Life is too short to be so anal about it that it becomes a chore. The more great tasting plant based options that are developed, the easier it is to make the change!

A drone fly over when Forsythia was in full bloom!

Even if the claim that meat and dairy are a detriment to your health is false, no one can dispute the cruelty to animals in factory farms and the unnatural conditions forced upon them My philosophy is that if each of us would cut back on the meat they consume and make the effort to eat local farm raised meat then the planet would be a better place. I can not imagine living next door to a factory farm being subjected to the noise, pollution, stench, and the horribly sad animals that are imprisoned there for life. It's simple, the less we support, the less suffering.

A crowd of Angels marching to the gates with my Father

On the day before my Dad's passing, I looked at my phone and noticed this strange photo that was on it (that I never shot). A friend said that purple signifies death in many cultures and that the white dots were spirits. It gave me a little peace to know he might be leaving us with angels all around!

Our much improved newly painted shed

I did manage to make it to the beach and it was so lovely. We did get one out of 2 sheds painted and I love the new look. We're going to paint the house and other big shed this color. We also redid the bathroom downstairs which was also a major accomplishment! Anthony is installing a hot water insinkerator that I picked up at the Habitat Store for $30.00 on this last day of the year! I hope he is finished in 2017 and that it actually works!

Our new little Powder Room

I'm hoping for 2018 that I can get back into the garden and celebrate SPRING, my favorite season. Happy New Year and take a stand to change your life to better your health and the planet. I would love for you to leave a comment if you plan to do just that!

~Rebecca