Activities for the Elderly with Illness

It is important to encourage your loved one to participate in some form of activities to help combat depression and agitation from chronic illness and/or declining health.  Many people think that the activities have to complicated and scheduled, but that is simply not the case.  If you have a loved one that can no longer sew or do handwork that they once loved, you can have them "help" you roll up a ball of yarn from a tangled mess.  If your loved one once loved to paint, but cannot do it anymore, try a simple paint by number or coloring mandalas.  Mandalas are used therapeutically in many circumstances and are excellent for dementia patients.  There are books sold, but there are also a lot of free mandala coloring pages online.  Cards are great tools to get interaction.  Even if they cannot play a card game, you can have them "sort" the deck by sets, numbers, etc.  Many patients enjoy just having you sit next to them and play cards, asking arbitrary questions that they can choose to answer or not, such as, "I wonder if I should put this queen on that king?" or "What number goes after 3?"  This helps keep them interactive and if they engage, it can help them with neurological sequencing, number and shape recognition, etc.  Dominoes is helpful in that respect as well.  Remember that it doesn't really matter if they can play a game properly as much as it matters that they are interacting and enjoying the activity.

Each person is different and one must learn what their loved one gets excited over.  Some enjoy sending cards and just signing their name.  Some enjoy folding laundry or washing dishes.  Cooking is great, everything from making a sandwich to making cupcakes, because cooking is a deeply rooted cultural activity that we associate with love, family, etc. and that also engages a person in following directions and sequencing steps.  Men love to be engaged in a ball game and if they can't drink alcohol, get them a special root beer to enjoy.  Activities with the elderly do not have to be dramatic and elaborately planned events, but more in the little daily joys.  As the caregiver, let yourself relax and just enjoy the moments you have.  A few extra minutes with your loved one sitting with you in the kitchen while you prepare a meal will be one of the little things you will think about when you need a pleasant memory, so allow yourself to breathe and enjoy those moments.