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I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
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V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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I have searched this site and many others for inspiration on how to occupy my mother. Playing games with her or taking her out for walks or even folding laundry are common suggestions, but at best occupy less than an hour of her day, and at worst she rejects the whole idea before we even begin. She is not interested in talking books any more, and it is hard to find simple PG rated stories that she can still follow although she used to enjoy them years ago. TV is definitely out unless I can find a documentary and there are is not much worth tuning in to. It is sad that her only outlet has become moving from bed to chair and back again, with a little music along the way (as long as she will keep her hearing aids in anyway)
Helen Keller had both problems. I'd start teaching her tactile sign language or braille. Where was the planning while she was GOING blind? or did this happen with the brain tumor? Anyway, what a predicament.
Massage chair pads, foot massage units, foot bath units, perhaps a fuzzy animal to pet. Warm breezes, perhaps trip to the ocean. Can she smell? Different smells using essential oils. Warm or cool washcloth with lemon or lavender or rose essential oil. YUM.
Once you find a thread of interest, build on it. Like a lap dog or calm cat. If she can still swallow, then different textures to the foods. I think a good way to go out is to totally wallow in mangos, maybe with coconut sauce.
Strange nobody ever brings up drugs, but what the heck. Medical marijuana brownie. If she understands it is a "trip" and not her going totally insane. A frosty pina colada or mai tai.
She might react to rhythms...Remo makes a table drum. did you know there is a professional percussionist who is entirely deaf? Makes you wonder at how adaptive humans are.
I am happy to know that I am not the only one in this situation. My husband is 80 and has very little hearing or vision. I so often feel that I am failing, because I can't think of things to keep him motivated. Now I don't feel so bad, since even the professionals are challenged. Realistically, I know this is a universal issue, but I can't help but feel sorry for him. Bless his heart, he never complains, except that he can't do more for me. It would be wonderful if "social security" offered us both a social and secure lifestyle, thus a happier and healthier life.
Suggestions: 1. If the person is not completely deaf, a good set of headphones can make listening to music or audio books enjoyable again. Sennheiser is one brand we use. 2. Chores to help around the house: folding laundry, polishing silver, kneading bread, stringing beans, sorting socks by feel, brushing pets, etc. 3. Dictating knowledge into a recording device: family recipes, geneology information, childhood memories, gardening tips, life lessons, advice for young people, singing songs from their youth, etc. 4. tactile crafts such as knitting, weaving, macrame, clay work, paying musical instrument into a recording software, etc.
Well, I don't really have an answer, just another tweak to this question. My mother is 96, just about blind and almost completely deaf. Unfortunately she is also rather senile. Your mother really shouldn't be living alone, but I image she likes her independence. That's what kept my mother on her own until I deemed it unsafe (an incident with the stove). Since she has moved in with my husband and myself we have found it difficult to keep her occupied. So far the big winners are our visiting grandchildren and a litter of kittens my adult daughter is bottle feeding. She does enjoy sitting out when the weather is good, marveling at how good the sun and breeze feels on her skin. We continue to try to find things that involve smell, touch and taste. All of the suggestions involving those senses are right on. How about gardening, maybe herbs in pots for the kitchen. If crocheting or knitting is too difficult, how about spool-knitting. It might be easier than regular knitting and the long thin tubes can be wound into hotplates or small mats so it would have a productive outcome. I find that having my mother living with me is very similar to being home when my children were very young.
May I interject to some of the less helpful responses on here? My mother-in-law is 86 and deaf/blind, it isn't always possible or practical to move people into your own home in order to care for them, i.e. if you have to work for a living, there is no recompense to help financially if you give up work, she may not want to move from her own home, a lot of elderly refuse to move in with relatives for many reasons, it is also possible that due to several factors during childhood, it is the last thing you want to have your parent living with you, not everyone has had the ideal parents raising them, it is unfair to try and reprimand someone whose circumstance you know nothing about, suffice that they are trying to deal with a very dfificult situation rather than put their elderly into a home out of the way completely!!!!!
And why, one might ask, is a 92 year old woman who is both blind and deaf...LIVING ALONE????? Guess you aren't checking back to see your responses. For pete's sake, move her in with you or you in with her. Boredom is not what I would put on high priority for your mother.
I am working in a care home as an activities coordinator. One of the residents is almost blind and deaf. She plays volleyball with balloon! She can hardly see but with her fingers she realize where the balloon is!
find some things that are tactile for her... check with the Association for the blind. You could find things that smell good. My kids had scratch and sniff books. Or just make a game of smelling things that might bring back memories such as peppermint, lilac's, vanilla. Did she enjoy baking??? Let her knead some bread dough, or mix up banana bread. take care..
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
It is sad that her only outlet has become moving from bed to chair and back again, with a little music along the way (as long as she will keep her hearing aids in anyway)
Massage chair pads, foot massage units, foot bath units, perhaps a fuzzy animal to pet. Warm breezes, perhaps trip to the ocean. Can she smell? Different smells using essential oils. Warm or cool washcloth with lemon or lavender or rose essential oil. YUM.
Once you find a thread of interest, build on it. Like a lap dog or calm cat. If she can still swallow, then different textures to the foods. I think a good way to go out is to totally wallow in mangos, maybe with coconut sauce.
Strange nobody ever brings up drugs, but what the heck. Medical marijuana brownie. If she understands it is a "trip" and not her going totally insane. A frosty pina colada or mai tai.
She might react to rhythms...Remo makes a table drum. did you know there is a professional percussionist who is entirely deaf? Makes you wonder at how adaptive humans are.
1. If the person is not completely deaf, a good set of headphones can make listening to music or audio books enjoyable again. Sennheiser is one brand we use.
2. Chores to help around the house: folding laundry, polishing silver, kneading bread, stringing beans, sorting socks by feel, brushing pets, etc.
3. Dictating knowledge into a recording device: family recipes, geneology information, childhood memories, gardening tips, life lessons, advice for young people, singing songs from their youth, etc.
4. tactile crafts such as knitting, weaving, macrame, clay work, paying musical instrument into a recording software, etc.
Just a thought
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