I've been working on a piece for CareGiving Kos regarding some of the activities that I would engage my mother-in-law with, which helped to keep her engaged and happy as well as feeling as though she was still contributing. It's now going to be two separate pieces, to be queued and to appear later. For tonight, I'd like to get some input from everyone who has been, or is, a care-giver. Primarily, what was your loved one a victim of - was it Alzheimer's disease, or another form of dementia, or a cancer, or something else? What kind of activities were you able to engage in, and what effect did they have on your charge? Would you recommend those activities to others, or are there ones you'd wanted to try but haven't or couldn't?
The activities that we engaged in with Georgia ("Mumsie") ranged from arts & crafts to caring for the pets, and even joining me on some consulting engagements at client sites. Some of the activities were normal, every-day activities - others, variations of the same but adjusted to fit the current circumstances and Georgia's capacity to take them on. Some were modifications of "busy-work" and "honey-dos" into activities that would accomplish something, or specifically ~not~ impact anything - again, all dependent on the time, circumstance and capacity of both the loved one and the care-givers at the time.
But one thing was very evident: the activities were a form of engagement and relief for all those involved, enabling (in many instances) a sense of achievement and accomplishment that seemed to last for at least most of the remainder of that day.
What type of experience(s) have you had with regard to activities with your loved ones?
CareGiving Kos is a community diary series posted generally on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening by volunteer diarists. This group & series is for those who are now (or have been) in the role of being a care-giver for a loved one. We want this space to be supportive and free of squabbles. Our only rule is to be kind to yourself and others who are going through a very difficult time. Please respect the concept of this group: No Politics Here.1
1 By "no politics" we don't mean "avoid politics completely" - it's too relevant, at times, to portions of the topics discussed. But keep any references to politics focused and within the context of the caregiving topic. Avoid flames, flaming, flame-wars and dragging the discussion off-topic. Thank you.