This is for general situations, but most imminently for this coming week when my sister, (79) and brother-in-law, (81) will be moving to assisted living. He will be home directing the movers. I will be taking her out of the home and trying to keep her busy for 3-4 hours. He is the sole caretaker, and when he is not around, she gets anxious. She also gets extremely agitated often just in general. She is on Zoloft, which has helped some. We plan to go for a drive, which she enjoys daily (I just don't know how she will do without her husband). The other activities I have planned are some simple card games at the library, which she may enjoy, some candy for diversion, lunch, and an ice cream stop. I'm anticipating some outbreaks, and want to re-direct, but get lost after the first 1 or 2 "How's the weather?" A favorite subject. She enjoys a short walk, and watching kids play at the park, but the weather is too cold for that now. I explored indoor activities for kids that we could watch, but there are none in her area. Any suggestions for my bag of tricks are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
If so that might be an idea that would take an hour or so.
Do you have a mall in the area where you could "Mall Walk"?
I realize a mall might be over stimulating but my Husband used to LOVE walking through Sam's Club or Costco and getting the "samples" that would give out. Both were safe places to walk, large carts so he could use a cart rather than his walker. (He was over 6 foot so the higher carts helped) The aisles were wide, clear of clutter and well lit.
Try laughing when redirecting. I know it sounds odd but it might work. One day I was trying to get dinner ready and my Husband was intent on being in the kitchen and I wanted him to go sit down. No matter what I did he resisted, pushed back with his walker. I realized how silly the whole thing was and I just started to laugh. He looked at me....and the way he looked at me I laughed even more...then he started laughing. (It was the first time in a LONG time I had heard his laugh though) And that made me laugh more...I was able to get him to sit down easily at that point.
Are there movies she likes? Bring a tablet or laptop to the library and watch a movie if the games stop being of interest.
https://www.seniorlink.com/blog/50-tips-on-transitioning-a-loved-one-to-memory-dementia-or-alzheimers-careyour-blog-post-title-here
You can take your sister to a pet shop. Most elders love looking at animals and that can keep her distracted for quite a while.
Give her things to do like folding hand towels if you're sitting outside or even in a restaurant. Bring a batch with you. Or sorting different objects out in bins, which would be harder to do in public. You can always get her a fidget blanket designed for AD like this:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=fidget+blanket+for+adults+with+dementia&crid=1MPW8AL422K37&sprefix=fidget+bl%2Caps%2C185&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_4_9
Best of luck to you.