Memory-Boosting Activities for the Early Stages of Alzheimer’s
While you can’t stop the decline that occurs with Alzheimer’s, a study did find that brain games may help delay it by around five years. If there is a chance it could help your mom, why not engage in memory-boosting games and activities? Here are six activities your family can do with your mom during a visit.
Paint Pictures
Home Care Osakis, MN: Memory-Boosting Activities
Painting is a great hobby that works on memory skills, and you don’t need experience. Purchase some canvas paper and paints. Once you have the supplies, find an appealing instructional video online and play it while you paint.
Follow along with the instructor, hitting pause when necessary, and see what happens. You’d be surprised by the creations you’ll make together, even if you have no prior experience.
Plant a Garden
Now is a good time to invest in some form of garden that your mom can tend to. It helps with memory skills as she has to keep in mind the steps involved, and you or a caregiver can remind her as needed.
She has to aerate the soil and add fertilizer or compost, if necessary. She has to plant the seeds or seedlings and water them. Your mom has to keep checking for and removing weeds and make sure insect pests aren’t damaging her plants.
When the crops are ready, your mom has to harvest them, remove dead plants, and restart the process as needed. If you get an indoor garden, such as an AeroGarden, your mom can garden year-round.
Play Simple Games
Even simple games can be incredibly beneficial to helping boost memory retention skills. Children’s games like Memory or Guess Who? are fun for all ages. Gather the grand kids or great-grand kids and have your mom sit down and play with you. If everyone plays, she may not feel that you’re choosing children’s games simply because of cognitive health.
If she’s particularly resistant to children’s games, there are suitable adult games that will also help. Yahtzee is one, but you can also pick games like Codenames or Uno to help with memory and strategic thinking skills without having complex rules to follow.
Put Together a Jigsaw
Work on a jigsaw puzzle together. It requires hand-eye coordination, and it’s also a good way to use memory skills. Your mom will need to think about how the pattern goes together. She has to look at the picture on the box and visualize how to arrange the pieces to match.
Who is around to help your mom each week? If she’s alone regularly, hire home care assistance to support her. She’ll have someone to help with medication reminders and transportation since one of the first things her doctor will say is to stop driving. Call a home care assistance specialist to get started.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Home Care in Osakis, MN please contact the caring staff at Alternative Senior Care today. Providing Home Care in Central Minnesota and Surrounding Communities. Call us Today (320) 352-3350
Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210714170134.htm
Lainie recalled her favorite subject in school was Home Economics,
“I always loved cooking, cleaning, organizing the home, and caregiving; all the things we do best at Alternative Senior Care!”
"I’ve learned a lot from my experiences for the past 30 years, caregiving for seniors, children and family members. Being a part of Alternative Senior Care is a privilege for me because I feel every day is an opportunity to find ways to bless others, especially in my own community. Overseeing our day-to-day operations at Alternative Senior Care, allows me to make sure our values and mission statement is implemented in all that we do to make each client feel safe, comfortable, and cared for in their own home. “
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