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I know she goes to the art therapy group, I see the charges on her Medicare statements, but half the time she doesn't even remember they came (I always ask what project they did with the art ladies). I know she wants to sew and quilt, but she is not allowed a sewing machine, and from what I saw before she went to MC, she is not capable of running a sewing machine any longer (the handmade quilt that she made me was a victim of a project I tried getting her to work on at my home before I moved her...it kept her focused a bit, but I'm incredibly sad that it isn't usable any longer). I'm not even certain she can discern colors and shapes at this point based on an art project that I took to do with her one weekend. I just don't know what, if anything, I can do. And I don't want to hear the complaining and whining either. It's so stressful.
Have ready some kind of activity, such as a familiar book or photo album to look at. This can help if the person with Alzheimer's is bored or confused and needs to be distracted. But be prepared to skip the activity if it is not needed.
Online: www.Lumosity.com
Old records from her youth.
When we visit my MIL in LTC with mild/mod dementia and short-term memory impairment, we look up funny animal videos on our laptop and watch them together. This never fails to get a reaction out of her. Mostly the action can't be too fast, so she can process it.
Most provide transportation. They provide a lunch a snack and a full day of activities and sometimes an outing.
Many senior centers have activities that she might enjoy. BUT not if she might be a "flight risk" or if she needs extra care. And they may want you to remain on site.
Take her out, go for a walk. will do you both good.
Card games. Not a regular game but match suits, match colors, match numbers. Put the numbers in order. Play "War" (you each put a card down the one with the highest card down wins the card, game ends when you have had enough or when one person has all the cards)
And the "you have heard it before" ones
Fold towels
pair socks
have her help prep veggies for dinner (if it is safe for her to do so)
let her help load the dishwasher or let her help wash dishes.
Give her a magazine or paper and ask her to cut out coupons, pictures, recipes
coloring book
paints, finger paints are great.
let her help you make cookies.
Puzzles
And lastly
let her do nothing.
it is difficult for a brain with dementia to process, it takes time. I have read that it can take 45 to 60 seconds to process a question. I don't know about you but sometimes in a minute I am on a completely different topic.
As she declines she will sleep more, she will want to do less because it is difficult for the brain to sort out the input.
The triangular crayons couldn’t roll, so she was a little more able to self initiate, which seemed good for her.
You have realized, as I ultimately did, that it is possibly more distressing to you than to her that she may be “bored”. In retrospect I think my LO was more exhausted and uncomfortable than “bored”.
I was always charmed that almost as long as she lived, she retained her ability to discern her choices of particular colors, and use them appropriately. It delighted me that she could do that for so long.
I had a client who used to love turning the knobs on an Etch-A-Sketch for hours at a time.
I had another one who had a white magnet board and would arrange the magnets on it for hours.
I've seen people now give the person a quilted and padded fabric book. The "pages" are colorful and have different textured fabrics done like a patchwork. They have things like teething-ring keys sewn on them and different colorful stuff like that. I've seen this product keep a person with dementia busy for a long time.
Adult daycare is a good idea as suggested. There are activities for every level of mental capacity.
Why not just let her be, sit quietly or whatever.
My step-mother is in MC, she used to make jewelry, draw and more hobbies, now she colors with pencils, I buy her adult coloring books. Still has some interest in this, but that is waning as well.
It is the disease, accept it, there is nothing that can be done
It will be a Godsend for her and for you as well as it will give you time to do things for yourself.
Music is also something to consider sharing with your mom, as music is something that is stored in a different part of the brain and even with dementia, folks still can sing along to their favorite songs.
Or you can try buying her some adult coloring books and let her color to her hearts content. One of the ladies in my caregiver support groups husband loves to color in them and does a really good job and he actually stays in the lines.
I would play the card game war with my late husband as he still was able to discern numbers.
Other will come along with other suggestions, but really the best answer will be the adult daycare for her as they do such a wonderful job with folks with dementia.