How about a Simon? Auditory and visual stimulation while exercising her short term memory. That's the one thing that has been shown. If you can get someone to work their brain with mental exercises that require rapid response, their memory will improve. Even in people with dementia. Just because they have dementia doesn't mean they can't form new pathways. Just turn down the volume so that it doesn't torment the entire facility. The default is pretty loud.
Couple of ?s.... - realistically can your mom do activities? & - is she self motivated to do things? Is she shy? Has she developed a friend or two at the AL? & Does this AL have an actual activities director? If so, I’d meet with them to see what is scheduled; if there’s an activities director they have stuff planned 6 mos to a year out. See if you can download it into your phone so you can call mom to remind her.
If mom is more of a follower type, It may mean that you actually have to go those days a few times to get your mom and walk her down to the arts & crafts room or sign her up for the outside activity and be there to get her on the AL van to get her used to it. Then put up a big dry erase board and you write in that months events so she knows when to go. If she doesn’t have a huge classroom style clock with date on it or satellite feed date & clock in her room, get one up on a wall for her.
Also I’d suggest that If AL has a Sunday service, or midweek vespers, get her going to it. Even if it’s not her faith that owns or operates the AL, as the ILs, ALs, NHs tend to do services as non-denominational is my experience. She needs to get onto some sort of schedule.
I’m a late in life mom. So my mom was in her 90’s when she went into IL & later a NH and my kid was in middle school. A lot of getting my mom into the rhythms & pattern of both IL & NH was very very similar to what it was like in getting our son to do things in early childhood programs and in cub scouts just a few years before. There’s pattern & repetition & knowing how to motivate a 4,5 or 7,8 yr old (e.g. get your “sit upon”, do “little voice”, 2 fingers petting, buddy walk, line up, etc). It’s somewhat similar to doing it for an elder but harder as their set in their ways. For my mom, she was used to going to a senior lunch center at a church 1 or 2 days a week for years while still living in her home and in doing community based programs (Oasis & JCC). So the idea of signing up for the IL or NH van to go on shopping trip or going down to a crafts room wasn’t unfamiliar. But finding out where to do it at the IL & later the NH was the hurdle till the pattern was affixed. If your mom was living at home and not really doing much outside of the family activities, it’s gonna be oodles harder to get her doing stuff with others. And here’s where the activities director can be helpful as they can try to remind her and perhaps get her with a buddy. And you flat may have to go to the AL on activities or outside trip day and get your mom prepped and walk her to it.
also depending on how flush this AL is, the activities dept may have limited budget. Ask what they might appreciate getting if that’s feasible for you..... like $ 20 of fake florals from DollarTree or 3 dz gold spray painted soup tins. I hauled boxes of Mardi Gras beads & throws to my mom’s NH which was much appreciated. Also took all my old cub scout odd & ends and my kids old diorama leftovers to activities gal as well. Believe me, if activities has a tight budget, stuff will be very much appreciated.
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- realistically can your mom do activities?
&
- is she self motivated to do things? Is she shy? Has she developed a friend or two at the AL?
&
Does this AL have an actual activities director? If so, I’d meet with them to see what is scheduled; if there’s an activities director they have stuff planned 6 mos to a year out. See if you can download it into your phone so you can call mom to remind her.
If mom is more of a follower type, It may mean that you actually have to go those days a few times to get your mom and walk her down to the arts & crafts room or sign her up for the outside activity and be there to get her on the AL van to get her used to it. Then put up a big dry erase board and you write in that months events so she knows when to go. If she doesn’t have a huge classroom style clock with date on it or satellite feed date & clock in her room, get one up on a wall for her.
Also I’d suggest that If AL has a Sunday service, or midweek vespers, get her going to it. Even if it’s not her faith that owns or operates the AL, as the ILs, ALs, NHs tend to do services as non-denominational is my experience. She needs to get onto some sort of schedule.
I’m a late in life mom. So my mom was in her 90’s when she went into IL & later a NH and my kid was in middle school. A lot of getting my mom into the rhythms & pattern of both IL & NH was very very similar to what it was like in getting our son to do things in early childhood programs and in cub scouts just a few years before. There’s pattern & repetition & knowing how to motivate a 4,5 or 7,8 yr old (e.g. get your “sit upon”, do “little voice”, 2 fingers petting, buddy walk, line up, etc). It’s somewhat similar to doing it for an elder but harder as their set in their ways. For my mom, she was used to going to a senior lunch center at a church 1 or 2 days a week for years while still living in her home and in doing community based programs (Oasis & JCC). So the idea of signing up for the IL or NH van to go on shopping trip or going down to a crafts room wasn’t unfamiliar. But finding out where to do it at the IL & later the NH was the hurdle till the pattern was affixed. If your mom was living at home and not really doing much outside of the family activities, it’s gonna be oodles harder to get her doing stuff with others. And here’s where the activities director can be helpful as they can try to remind her and perhaps get her with a buddy. And you flat may have to go to the AL on activities or outside trip day and get your mom prepped and walk her to it.
also depending on how flush this AL is, the activities dept may have limited budget. Ask what they might appreciate getting if that’s feasible for you..... like $ 20 of fake florals from DollarTree or 3 dz gold spray painted soup tins. I hauled boxes of Mardi Gras beads & throws to my mom’s NH which was much appreciated. Also took all my old cub scout odd & ends and my kids old diorama leftovers to activities gal as well. Believe me, if activities has a tight budget, stuff will be very much appreciated.
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