At 79, when his body and mind were compromised by dementia, I’d visit with him and we played all sorts of activities and games. When it was time for me to go home, I hated leaving him with nothing to keep his hands busy. Handing him something that looked like a child’s toy felt like an insult to him and well, it just made me feel sad. So, I present five (not childlike) tactile fidget gift ideas for your senior with dementia. The benefit? To help them stay busy and feel calm.
Five gratifying and useful dementia-friendly gift ideas
- These sculpture-like metallic tangles twist around in endless combinations and are light and easy to manage.
- For animal lovers, these realistic looking, battery-powered cats and dogs move, respond to touch and even purr, but without the care required by a real pet. They aren’t inexpensive, but are a lot less than a real pet would cost.
- Do an online search for a slide fidget widget—a handsome and smooth wooden form that fits easily in one’s hand and has beads that slide back and forth on a secure band.
- Introduce a sensory activity through a tactile book which can act as an amazing rehabilitation tools for patients who have suffered a serious injury or stroke or have Alzheimers: they help restore fine motor skills in adults, improve concentration, and alleviate stress.
- Like the tangle mentioned above, this wooden art ball fidget toy can be twisted and formed. Its larger size makes it easier to manage. It comes in two sizes and either a natural wood finish or in black/white.
Note: We recommend these products because we think they’re good and we wanted to save you time. Some of them may earn us a bit when you click on the link.
May you find joy in loving one another well, despite dementia!
Elizabeth Dameron-Drew is co-founder and president of Ways & Wane. She walked closely with her own father through his years of waning. She lives near Seattle, Washington with her two teenage sons, husband and two rescue dogs. When she’s not working on this platform, she’s probably creating books, sewing, or vacuuming, or cooking while listening to the rain and thinking about her next creative endeavor.
