This is another spring short.

What do you do with mom and dad and yourself when you've exhausted all sorts

of activities to keep them engaged and entertained and you from being bored?

Stay tuned.

This is a list you might want to know about.

Hey everybody, it's Nancy May from Doing it Best With Eldercare Success.

And yes, this is another spring short.

This one is inspired by some comments that I saw in a couple of

different chat locations about it.

Those that were caregivers who are getting bored of doing the same

thing over and over and over again with their aging parents or with

those that they're caring for.

So I thought, hmm, the same old list where the things that they had been doing

time and time again, and I've seen it forever and I've heard about these things.

And you know what?

I'd be bored with them the first time I did them.

So.

I started figuring out what we could do to try and create a list for

you that might be a little bit more fun for your daily activities with

mom and dad, or as a caregiver, and even better yet for mom and dad too.

Okay, there are certain things that are just going to take place day in and day

out that are kind of routine and you don't need to engage them all the time.

There's nothing like a little downtime to help them and us.

even if it's from 1200 miles away.

Yes, that anxiety can build up and not knowing what to do or

how to help can be exhausting.

But here's a list of things that can help you or those that are taking

care of your parents hands on.

First, music.

Music is a wonderful thing that we all enjoy, even if we're a little tone deaf.

my mom was a singer as a young girl, and unfortunately as a child, I couldn't

stand her high pitched vocaling.

I'd put my fingers in my ears and say, stop, stop.

As I look back now, or reminisce back, I think how rude of me.

And, she was not selfish, she listened, although I think she sang her heart out

when I was away either at kindergarten or at school later on, and I hope

she did, because she had a great voice, as I think back to those days.

Music can be brought into your house in any way, shape, or form.

the best and the easiest, especially for somebody with hard hearing,

are those little speakers.

They're not expensive, and you can probably get one on Amazon for about 25.

I'll look for a few and stick them in the show notes, if that's helpful.

Old songs make us feel young again.

And even those of us who may not know those songs, just seeing the joy and

the smile on their face as they sing.

If you knew Susie, like I knew Susie, oh, oh, oh, what a gal, which my dad would

sing all the time and drive us nuts.

Or mom would sing Abbondanza all the time.

gotta love them.

Second is old movies and popcorn toss.

Now, all right, so old movies at home are easy to do and there's the Turner Channel,

as we all know about, probably more often than not, everybody's watching that.

But popcorn toss?

Okay.

Here's an idea that you might think is a little crazy, but can be kind of fun.

While mom and dad are sitting in a chair, or in the barco lounger, or

I call the lifty chair, watching the movie, put a dark towel out in front

of the TV, and make a bunch of popcorn.

for those scenes that you don't like, or they don't like, throw popcorn at the TV.

You'll see all those little pieces of popcorn collecting on the dark

towel, and it'll be easy for them to see and for you to pick up.

What a boatload of fun.

Okay, a little messy, but what's a vacuum for anyway?

And better yet, if you have a dog, you will not have to vacuum a

crumb or morsel or pop up at all.

I promise you that one.

Speaking of dogs If mom and dad do not have a dog or a puppy, consider

an animal therapist to come in and visit and just have a petting session.

Petting with the dog, not mom and dad.

okay, maybe that's a little TMI, But our aides used to bring in small dogs

that they had, and mom and dad loved having these little critters sitting

on their lap quietly, patiently, and just enjoying the petting that

mom and dad would give of both.

The dog benefited and mom and dad benefited.

The next is tell me a story.

My dad used to tell great stories when we were kids, But there's nothing like

a fun round robin of storytelling,

kind of like the old fashioned telephone.

But in this case, somebody starts a story, the next person adds to the

story, and you continue on and on.

If you record it, it'll even be more fun when you listen to it later on.

You, Mom, Dad, and others.

it will also be a wonderful remembrance of their voice, when either one of them pass.

It may hurt your heart a little bit, but there's nothing like a

smile to listen to the voice of mom and dad after they're gone.

The next is painting.

That again is a little messy, but there's nothing like an old sheet on

the floor to help protect a floor, a carpet, or whatever else you might

have sitting under mom and dad.

painting with paintbrushes can sometimes be difficult on arthritic hands, but

there's nothing to say that you can't paint with flowers, sticks, and other

flora and fauna that can make painting a little easier, more creative, and fun.

Speaking of things like that, why not finger paints?

You don't need a brush for that, and you can always add sparkles, glitter,

whatever you want to call it, and even trace the outline of your hands

like turkeys when you were kids.

Or, just have some fun with it.

You never know what's going to come up.

One of our aides had asked if she could do painting with mom and dad.

And I said, why not?

So I went online, bought an easel, a bunch of canvases, sent down paints

and paintbrushes, and mom painted away.

I still have a number of those canvases.

And you know what?

Each one had its own spirit and style.

I could always tell when mom was in a dark mood based on the colors

and the style of that paint.

And there were a number of them that were just bright and lovely.

I've kept a few.

One in particular that looks like it's got a cardinal in it.

And I love that one.

It's my favorite.

If you're not doing finger painting, Watercolors and acrylics are probably

the easiest to use and that's because they clean up with water.

Typically they won't stain.

Predominantly, if you've got the plastic on the floor or an old cloth or

something to keep the floor clean and safe, but please make sure that if mom

and dad get up and walk, that you're able to get that off the floor quickly.

I mean the plastic or the drop cloth so that they can quickly get up and

go to the bathroom or do something else that they might need to do with

your help and assistance, of course.

Speaking of painting, Another style of painting could be painting

icing on cupcakes or cookies.

That's also messy.

You can tell I kind of like making a mess.

I don't like cleaning up, but making a mess with icing and

cupcakes and cookies is great because you can eat the ugly ones.

You can't actually eat an ugly painting.

You certainly can toss it, but But that always feels bad when

I'm tossing away a piece of artwork, whether it's good or bad.

But tossing away or eating a cookie or a cupcake that's ugly, my belly says yum.

And mom and dad's would too.

You can save the pretty ones for an evening party or to give away to other

older friends or kids in the neighborhood.

Seeing the joy on other people's face because of your creation

and their creation is wonderful.

It'll make your day better, and theirs too, I promise.

The next on the list is wheelchair walks.

This takes a little extra physical effort by you and or an aide.

Our aides used to take mom and dad out for walks around the block in

their wheelchairs quite frequently.

Better on cooler days, obviously, than warm days.

And they loved seeing the kids playing in the neighborhood.

And the kids loved seeing them too.

They would stop and say hello, and they would wave, and

everybody would have a good time.

So, wheelchair walks are a great way for them to get out and get some fresh air,

and for you to get some activity in too.

However, here's a slight word of caution.

last year, my husband and I were at a local street fair.

It was a lovely day, but it was getting a little warm, and I saw a family had taken

their grandmother out for the event.

She was sitting in the wheelchair in the crowd, and as the sun grew

higher in the sky, it began to get warmer, and warmer, and warmer.

I saw this poor woman starting to suffer in that chair.

You see, we don't realize it, but an older person really does get dehydrated

fairly quickly, so not having enough water or hydration can be an issue for them.

Also, they don't take the heat that well.

Now, if you're not used to heat and you're used to cooler weather, this can be tough.

But even more important is to make sure that they stay cool

and comfortable and hydrated.

If you see yourself getting a little warm, chances are they're sweating

bullets and you may not know it.

So be extra careful when taking mom and dad out on warm days.

Make sure that it's safe for them and it's safe for you too.

Also, excessive crowds can be tough.

If they're sitting in a plastic wheelchair, which most are, or vinyl

wheelchair, the heat at a lower level versus where we would be standing

up is going to be more dramatic.

So please consider that every degree in temperature does count.

This next idea relates around movies again.

Now we talked about Dementia Friendly Seline a couple episodes ago, and

I'll put a link to that one in the show notes with Jim Magnus.

Why not take mom and dad to the movies?

It can be fun, especially in the afternoon.

Okay, so it does get dark and sometimes that might create a sense of anxiety,

but if you sit in the back or in the handicap section, then there's a little

bit more room to get out if you need to.

Dementia Friendly Selene has done a slightly different way.

What they've done is they do movies in the afternoon with the lights on

and they encourage a lot of rowdiness, participation, and fun activities.

so if your local neighborhood movie theater does not do that,

consider asking them and learn from Dementia Friendly Celine.

Again, I'll put a link to that episode in the show notes.

Speaking of movies, What's a movie without dinner or lunch out?

If mom and dad have dementia or even if they don't and just a little frailty

getting in and out of the car or into a restaurant or sitting down or getting up,

Sometimes that makes things just a little bit more difficult for

you and sometimes the restaurant.

Call in advance and ask when is the least busiest time at that restaurant,

and let them know that you want to bring your parents in for lunch.

Ask if there's a way to make it easy and comfortable for them, and also easy

and comfortable for their servers, so that they know in advance that there

might be a little bit of rowdiness, an outbreak of laughter, and maybe even

Some loud conversation, because Dad can't hear and he won't wear his hearing aid.

Yes, that happened to us, and it's okay.

Make a celebration out of just an average day at the restaurant.

Why not just celebrate Monday?

There's always typically a doggie bag, especially when older

stomachs can't handle a full meal.

Doggie bags can be a great way to remember the day out,

And, if there's a doggie at home, well, lucky doggie.

The next is Play Date With Babies.

Now, I'm not necessarily saying bring in babies you don't know, but if an

aide or somebody that you know in the neighborhood has a young child, ask if

they can come in to play for a while.

there's nothing like seeing the joy on an older person's face when they're watching

those babies sitting on the floor.

Just for an hour or so.

You'd be surprised how much fun that is for them, and it's fun for the kids,

because they get to interact with somebody older, like a grandma or grandma style, or

a grandpa or grandma stand in for a while.

It's even better if they don't have, well, I wouldn't say it's even better,

but if they don't have grandparents, this is a way for them to appreciate

the older generation that they might be missing in their family.

What a great gift you can give to them too.

The next is gardening.

Now, who doesn't like to see things grow?

The discovery of seeing a new shoot, a new leaf, whatever it is, can be a lot of fun.

And it doesn't have to be a big garden.

Start with a small tabletop garden, an herb garden, or even a flower garden.

Now, I did this with my dad, and he loved watching me make this little garden.

It was a small stand that sat up in the back Lenai area.

And it was a hot day when I did it, but dad was an avid

gardener when we were kids.

In fact, he had learned from the local farmer on how to get rid of The woodchucks

that were eating everything in his garden.

The local farmer said, stab that sucker, kill him, and stick him on a stake.

Oh my God!

Well, Dad had no problem with doing that.

And watch out King Henry VIII, because we had woodchuck bodies hanging off the hooks

left and right in the back of our garden.

Not to mention gruesome, but also stinky.

I'm glad I was away at school for that one.

In any case, the garden that we made was a lot of fun.

And Dad loved watching and participating.

By directing me where to place what things where and how to order them properly.

Thank you, Dad.

sadly, I learned that our lead aid at the time was not so thrilled with my

gardening adventure and just asking her to water it, eh, maybe twice

a week to see what would happen.

She apparently tossed it shortly after I left.

I also shortly tossed her after I left.

That's for another story.

The next activity is puzzles.

Puzzles are always great and lots of fun because you can see the picture grow

right before your eyes, or expand and come together right before your eyes.

Yes, there are large format puzzle pieces to make it easier for hands that can't

handle those little teeny tiny pieces, and it's easy for them to do on their

own when you have other things to do.

At the end, you can put that puzzle together with glue and save it,

or better yet, Put it all back in the box, put it away for a rainy

day, and start all over again.

Speaking of making things, Play Doh.

Play Doh is one that you can make all sorts of things with.

It's fun, it's easy, And actually, the squishing of the Play Doh is

really good for strengthening hands.

It's an exercise that they can do while having fun at the same time,

and not even knowing it's an exercise.

But, You might want to forget Play Doh and use Sculpey.

Sculpey is this kind of clay that you can bake in the oven and make

buttons or other things out of.

And if they cook and you have a beautiful design, you stick holes in it, so it's

like the idea of making a button, sew those buttons on with yarn or string

or whatever it is onto an old blanket.

Now you've got a blanket design that you can enjoy thereafter.

You can have all sorts of stories and remembrances of,

Remember when we did that?

Let's do it again.

And don't forget the holidays.

decorating for the holidays can be a ton of fun and it doesn't

have to be stunningly beautiful.

you can paint kitchen windows with tempera paints that scrape

off easily or wash off easily.

After all, it's just a window.

It's okay.

Or better yet, get those little sticky gel things that can stick on the window.

You can move them around and do whatever you want.

But they're tiny and not easy to see.

I personally like all the little messengers that you can put on the

windows with soap or tempera paint or whatever else you want to use.

It's not causing any harm.

And like I said, it does not have to be beautiful.

Speaking of decorating, Why not decorate picture frames?

You can get inexpensive picture frames at Walmart or Michaels

or any other place like that.

Put photos in them or better yet, decorate and paint the photo frames beforehand

and then put the photos in after you're done or after the paint has dried.

You can change those photos out day after day or week after week.

You don't need to use those electronic photo frames, which are more difficult

to create stories or paint around because they're electronics, of course,

and electronics can get damaged.

Just the old fashioned changing the photos out can be fun for you and for them.

And there's a story behind every photo, of course.

Ask about it.

Even if it's not the right story, who cares?

It's something that you can have fun with and laugh about.

And finally, One more idea.

If you don't have a photo that you like to put in that frame, why not

dress up and take photos yourself and stick those in the frames?

Kentucky Derby has just passed and there's nothing like a good old fashioned fun hat.

Or think of hats for Easter parades and things like that.

Since the Derby has passed, as I said, why not create a hat for

the Preakness or the Belmont?

Or Memorial Day?

Red, white, and blue.

Or better yet, July 4th.

Throw a flag, a few sparklers on there.

Well, not live sparklers, obviously.

And have a summer picnic.

And don't forget Thanksgiving.

Yes, Thanksgiving deserves a hat.

I've got a turkey hat to die for.

I know.

Seriously.

Upside down turkey, legs in the air, and a few gobble gobbles go a long way.

I'm laughing just thinking about it.

That's it.

That's a list of 17 things that are fun, creative, and easy to do.

So I hope this helps you with some new ideas.

I'll have some others along the way too, but these are easy to

do, inexpensive, if not free.

I mean, honestly, what's it cost to make popcorn at home?

Hardly anything, right?

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We all need a little help in eldercare success.

That's it for another spring short.

Be well, stay strong, take care, and bye bye.