I wonder if a bulletin board might help w/ reminder and orient her to day and date. she lives w/ my sister. My mom can care for self. She is 92. Has rooms on lower level of sister's house. I live nearby so can bring her some meals but my sister makes sure she eats well. Her biggest problem is memory loss and confusion. I want to help keep her oriented as to day and date. We talk daily and she seems very frustrated when forgetting names etc. I thought a bulletin board might help. Anyone have an idea to help my wonderful mother? Due to disability I can't drive but still visit weekly bringing fruit and small meals.
I've read that one of the techniques of breaking prisoners is sensory deprivation - putting them in dark rooms with no windows, creating scenarios in which they can't even tell what time it is or where they are. I think that must sometimes be how people with memory loss and/or dementia feel. No wonder they're confused and upset.
If you figure out some approaches, please post back; I'm working on this myself.
Glassgirl, a bulletin board would be great.... in fact I use one for myself in the kitchen near the telephone, I have tacked up business cards of those who we call the most. Next to the bulletin board I have an extra large calendar, one that has bold easy to read dates where I can place small post-it-notes to remind me of appointments.
I've trying to get my parents to use the big calendars, but Mom prefer to use her desk top flip one day at a time calendar.... Dad never pays any attention to it so I have to constantly remind him of appointments, and he's the one that I just now noticing is having memory issues..... but he can sure remember back when he was a child.... I can't remember what I did last week :P
Make sure she's leaving her curtains/blinds open. Many older people shut up their houses like tombs as they get older. That's either out of fear or the mistaken belief that people can't wait to peer in their windows. Anyone peering in mom's windows would be struck blind sometimes. Good. Hahahahaha! If she won't leave them open, remove them. This should let ordinary daylight give her a valuable clue. If there are no windows in your sis's basement, I guess that won't help...but maybe there are.
I LOVE Semba's idea of an address book with pictures. That's pretty cool. Mom, with her mild dementia, can't dial the phone. *shrug*
Mom for some reason was very focused on what time it was. We also kept a clock visible from where she sat, and I got one that protected the time on the ceiling over her bed.
Mom is now in a nursing home. We still write on her whiteboard.
GardenArtist, my mother loves crosswords. I'm going to look into the ones you mention.
We colored coded different activities - it was easier to spot a red entry, for example, that might mean a medical appointment vs. a green entry that meant a family member would be over to stay with her.
If any one who visits has a dog, paste a sticker of a dog on that day to represent that visit. And try to get neighbors, friends and family who have pets to stop by - pet therapy is great just for calming and soothing.
Get a large clock so she can orient herself by time.
Break days down into segments - morning, afternoon and evening, so there's less to remember.
Plan shorter activites, or breaks between activities as her mind will tire more easily. Break the activities into smaller segments if necessary. E.g., instead of baking a cake all at once, have her assemble the ingredients, take a break. Measure the dry ingredients, take a break, etc. Doing this will avoid overwhelming her concentration ability.
Try some crossword puzzles from Reminisce and Reminisce Extra - the puzzles focus on early 20th century life, Great Depression, WWII. My Dad remembers things from those eras and really enjoys working the puzzles.
I think I have some memory related activites listed in my caregiving manual from the Alzheimers course; I'll check and see if there are any other suggestions. I think there were also some websites listed for suggestions on memory building activity.