Me again. I am trying so hard to find something that will help the nursing home keep Mom from getting up from her chair and bed. Mom has moderate dementia, is a cat on a hot tin roof, doesn't have any interests, hobbies, doesn't like to read, isn't interested in tv because she is pretty deaf, and has a very short attention span. Anyone find anything to amuse a person like that? I was even thinking of a kalidescope, or some sort of toy that she could sit and fidget with, something requiring no thinking?
Some find a doll soothing to hold (and maybe talk to).
Both my husband and my mother loved folding washclothes. I brought a small plastic basket of them in lots of different colors and textures to my mother's NH. She can sit with her wheelchair pulled up to a table, smooth and fold them, and put them back in the basket. My husband liked to do this with a shallow box on his lap to smooth them out. Most towels are too big, but washclothes are perfect!
Mom loves sorting things. If it seems to have a purpose, so much the better. She sorted a very large jar of pony beads by color, for the craft program, over several sessions. Often I have her sort all the coins in my purse so I can "take them to the bank."
Mom likes coloring. The adult coloring books are too intricate for her and she is not much into Disney characters. I print out appropriate images for her, such as simple flower outlines, and we color together.
Videos of beautiful places, like the national parks, require little thinking and are interesting even without the narration.
In a home environment using a paper shredder for a short period can be amusing and "helpful." I don't know if that would work in a NH.
Activities that appeal to a short attention span are valuable!