Helping Your Loved One Remain Active & Engaged While at Home
As your loved one’s disease progresses, they will tend to become less active and less interested in doing the things they used to enjoy. Whether you’re at home with your loved one full-time or just visiting with them periodically, you’ll want to try your best to help them stay more active and engaged. Identifying activities that they will enjoy at this point might require a lot of trial and error. Do your best to approach this process with an open mind and a willingness to try new things.
Since you and your loved one will likely be spending a fair amount of time indoors, it’s a good idea to find some things you can do together inside the home. There are plenty of activities that you and your loved one can enjoy together in the living room or family room. Again, your loved one might not be able or interested in doing the same things they used to do. You might have to try a variety of activities and think outside the box a little.
Playing board games or card games can be fun and engaging. Looking through photo albums or making photo collages is often a good way to help your loved one feel connected. Simply sitting together and watching a favorite TV show or movie can be a great way to enjoy your time together. In particular, watching old movies that you’ve seen before can be a great way to help your loved one feel engaged. Even folks with significant memory impairment can often remember parts of old movies. If you pause to discuss the movie periodically, it might enhance your connection further.
Spending time together in the kitchen can also be a great way to connect with your loved one. However, you might want to take certain precautions, depending on your loved one’s physical challenges and behavior patterns. Preparing a favorite meal or baking a favorite dessert together is a great way to help your loved one remain active and engaged during your time together.