Activity for Alzheimer's Patients

I have discovered one of the best pasttimes for Pat! It helps stimulate her mind while giving me something to do that is different and entertaining on these wintery days when we are stuck inside. Puzzle Challenge: Crosswords & More! I know that I have mentioned this in a previous post, but it is so great, I have to talk about again.

Unfortunately for some people, you may not have the Nintendo Wii. I strongly recommend getting one if you have an Alzheimer's victim in your life. There are a lot of games you can play on it to benefit the patient as well as the caregiver and people of all ages are using it to stay fit mentally and physically.

Pat has used the Wii Fit Plus game with me. She will get on the balance board, have her weight measured and do the 3 balance tests that measure your Wii Fit Age. It's good to get her up and involved and I think in time, I could get her to try one of the games, but haven't found a physical game yet that she could do because of her back.

Puzzle Challenge: Crosswords & More  is a lot of fun for the whole family. Pat, her granddaughter, and I have tried the crossword puzzles and especially liked that they have different levels of difficulty. Pat is a pro at crossword puzzles and her face lit up when we played. We also tried the Word Search puzzle and Pat found 2 of the words before we did. It held her interest the whole time we played!

To get your copy of the games or the Nintendo Wii, I recommend Amazon(affiliate link).

If you know someone living with Alzheimer's, please share this blog with them and help spread the word. Thank you!

Alzheimer's Patient Activity: What Matters Most

New Years came and went... and Pat sat in her chair, watching us, staring in to space... and I feel bad for her. I feel bad that she is forgotten by society. So many people say they will call, stop by, take her to lunch, etc, but then we never hear from them. And I wonder why?

Why do people act as though she hasdied? Like she no longer exists? Mark and I both think people avoid her because they don't know what to do around her. What do they talk about? What will she do? Will she freak out? Will she remember who they are? I'm not sure what goes through people's minds. I understand their discomfort. Before Pat, I was the same way.

Now that I take care of Pat, though, I've changed the way I look at life. I don't think so much about what I am getting out of my relationship with her. More about what she gets out of it. Does it really matter if you are uncomfortable... even irritated for an hour or two? Just look at what good it can do for that person. It brightens the day for someone who has NOTHING to look forward to.

I guess that's why I take care of Pat. I know the difference it makes in her life. I know sometimes, it is a difference between life and death... and sometimes much more. There are bigger things than life and death that none of us would care to witness. I shutter to think about someone else taking care of her. I know the things she does even with two people living with her, loving her and watching her. How is someone with no emotional ties going to be when no one is watching them?

I know some incredible nurses and aides, but I also know some not so good ones. Who is to say which of the two would be her caregiver? She is safe with us, no question... no gamble. And it's fine the way it is. we just wish she had more interaction.

Interaction for Pat is important and it's hard for us to do it every day. Every day. All day. And it's not that she is tough to be around. It's that I have never spent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the same house with anyone ever. Even Mark and I spend less time together than we do with her so it would be nice to have visitors. I understand how akward it is though and that all her friends are as old as her or older.

Perhaps it is time to get some relief help from time to time.