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pcgirl56 Asked May 2020

Fidget quilts--helpful or not?

I don't want to be too quick to give Mom something like this and risk offending her, but especially in the afternoons (sundowning) she is so fidgety. It seems the more she fidgets the more her anxiety builds, or maybe it's the other way around? I'm seeking input for how effective a fidget quilt is, whether to tailor it to her past life/interests (office worker). She's definitely in Ruby stage (Teepa Snow) now, but she's still somewhat "there" in flashes on her best days. Thanks in advance!

Franklin2011 Jun 2020
my husband liked to hold a stuffed animal (https://www.lakeside.com/Home-Decor/Throws---Accent-Pillows/Cozy+Cat+Pillows/prod3100100.jmp?&mrkgcl=888&mrkgadid=3210105182&cid=GooglePLA-156418022&ukwcid=+&product_id=156418022&adpos=&creative=197302785758&device=m&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjaP_-ejh6QIVha_ICh2poQIGEAQYEyABEgJHvPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) or a cloth baby’s block with different textures on each sides. Nothing he could pull off.

GardenArtist May 2020
My father had one, but no interest in it. He just pushed it away.

I think the lack of interest was that the fidget quilt really had nothing to interest a man. I'm sure they're made with love and good intent, but there has to be something to interest the elder person, and that can be hard to find for someone creating them for a general population w/o specific knowledge of individuals' interests.

I wonder if they can be created for specific interests, say a fidget quilt of flowers with flexible or interchangeable petals, or sewed in holes to be filled with plastic screws....something more specific to male or female general interests.
pcgirl56 Jun 2020
I had a similar thought about something more specific to an individual's past interests/lifestyle. Some of the ones I've seen are, to be blunt, juvenile and I'm afraid she'd be offended. I'd tried jigsaw puzzles and even a wooden tangram tray puzzle thinking those would be more appealing since she is/was very left-brain oriented, but due to macular degeneration her eyesight is so diminished they proved unappealing.
Thanks for your input!

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cwillie May 2020
They had various aprons and other fidget gadgets at my mom's nursing home and I can't say as I ever say anyone there actually engaged in using them, this despite encouragement from the staff.

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