Try: #if a cr is isolated and wants more social contacts use the telephone as a resource for finding some #encourage the cr or the main caregiver to contact worship centers or volunteer organizations to see if they have volunteers available to meet with the cr at home the cr may favor a particular religious denomination and calls could be made to several churches in the area of that denomination to find out what programs and services are offered organizations serving seniors might also be contacted #in addition to looking for volunteers to come to the cr the cr may want to consider becoming a volunteer as a way of reaching out to other people many volunteer activities take place in the community but some can be done from home including working on mailings data entry making phone calls writing or editing making small repairs baking sewing putting packages together etc #if getting a ride to a volunteer site is a problem contact senior service centers and the local transit system to find out what kinds of transportation options exist in addition try calling the center for which the cr wants to volunteer and asking if the volunteer coordinator would help connect the cr to another volunteer for the purpose of sharing a ride

Materials: Caregiver volunteer site or volunteer work worship center telephone and phone book transportation resources

Categories: Social

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: #begin by letting the cr be a part of deciding what to plant ask him or her about past experiences with gardens if working in a flat garden is not possible plant in elevated garden boxes or pots if space is limited find a few pots that will fit in a sunny outdoor spot and plan on planting just a few things #initial success is important so you may want to plant plants that are safely past the seedling stage instead of seedlings and seeds #colorful flowers are a pleasure to look at and vegetables are a joy to eat while perennials return year after year annuals last only for their season keep in mind which plants will survive in the ground year round which will do well outdoors in pots and might come inside during winter and which might be enjoyed for several months in the ground #some plants give a lot mint gives edible leaves and a mint patch is fragrant and hardy for example and tomato vines can produce sun-warm treats for several months planting mint and tomatoes in medium-sized pots outdoors may make it fairly easy for a cr to reach and manage them

Materials: Small trowel spade and fork small bag of potting soil pots with drains at the bottom and separate saucers if possible several hardy plants that produce flowers or vegetables seedlings

Categories: Social, Mobility, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Independence, No Supervision, Some Supervision, Cognitive Awareness, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: #keep a magnifying glass near reading materials keep additional magnifiers in the kitchen and bathroom if they would be useful for reading labels there #cut a 3 x 3 rectangle out of black construction paper fold the paper in half then cut a 1in rectangle; when you open it it will be 3 x 3 place the cutout on a page directly over the print being read to help the cr the cutout will help the cr focus on one word at a time place tape around the rest of the construction paper so it will glide across the page smoothly this method while not an efficient way to read a book may be useful for a cr trying to follow a recipe

Materials: Magnifying glass extras if desired black construction paper tape

Categories: Social, Mobility, Needs Some Assistance, Vision, So-So Vision, Fully Aware, Long-Term Memory, Good L T Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, Good S T Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Nesting blocks and lacing cards may be found with early child education supplies or medical and rehabilitation supply stores and catalogs build towers with the nesting blocks guide string through the holes in the lacing cards use the art supplies to create works of art butcher paper can be used to provide a large surface sort the buttons by size shape and color and put them into separate containers play pick up sticks game to provide interaction and exercise all of these activities require that the brain hand and fingers work together in twisting grasping holding and steadying motions that are part of fine motor coordination

Materials: Nesting blocks lacing cards thick markers crayons butcher paper and pencils buttons and button container pick-up sticks game

Categories: Social, Needs Some Assistance, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: #place a book or magazine on the table or reading tray #to turn pages grasp the eraser with one rubber corner extended place the extended corner on the upper right corner of a page and press down slide the eraser from right to left and the page should turn the friction of the rubber does the work

Materials: Giant rubber eraser with a rough-ish texture sturdy flat surface table or reading tray

Categories: Social, No Supervision, Cognitive Awareness, Fully Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Flower arranging uses focus concentration and eye-hand skills it can also offer reaching or range of motion exercise craft stores carry all the supplies #buy plastic or silk flowers that are strongly attached to stems and don’t have berries or small floral pieces #use plastic mugs or containers as wide-mouthed vases #drill holes in the vases and screw them at different heights to the plywood #use wire cutters to cut the flower stems to sit securely in the vases cover any rough ends or exposed wires with green floral tape #mount the plywood securely on a wall at a height that the Care recipient (cr) has to stretch slightly to reach #invite the cr to arrange and place flowers in the vases periodically invite the cr to replace the arrangements #the activity may trigger recall without distracting the cr gently ask some questions ##have you ever had a flower garden ##what’s your favorite flower

Materials: Assortment of plastic or silk flowers 3 colorful soft plastic mugs or containers a plywood board screws wire cutters floral tape drill helper who can use tools

Categories: Social, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, Some Supervision, Good Verbal Comm, So-So Verbal Comm, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware, Long-Term Memory, Good L T Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, Good S T Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: If a Care recipient (cr) has trouble starting or keeping up a conversation use the newspaper as a conversation starter sit with the cr at a table or in comfortable chairs and share the newspaper if it’s helpful read interesting articles out loud stop and ask the cr’s opinion about specific news items skim all the sections of the paper to discover what is most interesting to the cr always make note of the date and weather knowing the date weather and season is an important part of awareness and weather is often easy to talk about point out news that relates to the cr’s life such as weddings that occur in places the cr has been or news from places the cr has seen

Materials: Daily newspaper

Categories: Social, Mobility, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, No Supervision, Some Supervision, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware, Good L T Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Good S T Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: #identify a small garden spot where the cr may plant several tomato plants #get permission from the landlord or facility to plant if appropriate #shop with the cr for seeds and supplies let the cr pick out the kind of tomato to be planted #plant the tomato seeds as directed assist the cr only as necessary #keep an eye on the plants as they grow and help the cr take regular care of them a positive experience may help the cr maintain pride and determination to keep garden going as long as possible

Materials: Tomato plants shovel access to water bucket or a large plastic jug stakes and ties necessary for tomatoes

Categories: Social, Mobile, Needs Some Assistance, Needs Much Assistance, No Supervision, Some Supervision, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: n/a

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed