Mum with dementia, ideas please.

[Zazz101]

Hi,
I’m looking for some ideas for my mum with advanced dementia.
One of her favourite past times is ’sorting’ through her many pocketed handbag.

I was going to buy her another one, and tell her I brought it from a charity shop ( her other passion) and fill it with things for her to sort through.

I have brought some old jewellery to put in there, but have no more ideas….

Does anyone have any ideas for other ‘treasures’ I can put in it ?

Thank you in advance.

Old photos. My Dad has dementia and we recently started going through his vast photo collection to sort it out and pass it on. He loved getting involved and remembered the locations and events better than I did.

What about stationery - maybe some pens, pencils, little notebooks. Even postcards and envelopes. My mum seems to enjoy ‘sorting’ her post and loves a good supply of pens.

Old stamps?
A selection of coins from various places.

Lovely idea, my mum with dementia loves jewellery sorting, especially beads and also a purse with change compartment, some notes, defunct loyalty cards, business cards etc.

Tissues! Old postcards?

My mum wrote Christmas lists and kept these in her bag. She also loved a big pack of elastic bands and used to loop them round and round her purse.

Coins mixture of old and new...

Lovely idea

Some great ideas !! Thank you.
I really like the stationary idea, she loves pens and also the purse, she likes old cards etc so old loyalty cards is a great idea.
Thank you so much !
I think she will love this, please keep the ideas coming, you are all so helpful:)

I’d echo the photo ideas, my mum literally wore some photos out just with constantly handling them -so if they’re treasured ones, make copies. Mum also liked a bottle of perfume and fabric hankies (fabric won’t tear up and make mess like paper tissue’s might)

Hankies, esp ones with embroidery and lace so they are very tactile and can be folded and refolded.
'tangled up' ribbons of different textures and colours - she might enjoy untangling them and rolling them up
A proper powder compact and a lip balm in a pretty case (depends whether she was the sort to like this when younger)
Hair clips. Weirdly my mum got quite obsessed with them and loved putting them in her hair so I got big bags of them from ebay
Long after mum could write, she still 'made notes' and liked her shiny pen and notebook
If your mum likes photos (mine was distressed by them) she might like a tiny photo album and you could try writing on them 'to Joan with love from your grandaughter Susan' sort of notes
Old fashioned bus tickets or train tickets - I guess depending on whether that was part of her life. One home mum went to for respite had a bus stop in their secure garden as getting the bus to work had been so much part of their lives for some of the men who had been up the works
Chiffon scarf and light gloves like she might have worn in the 60''s?

Bingo cards and raffle tickets, not sure why but seem to hold memories

Keyrings on the zipper and set of keys, also some sort of mint, hard boil sweet

The sweets are a good call - maybe in a tin (our independant chemists sell the travel sweets in a tin) and you could put one of many sorts in there which would be a satisfactory poking through the tin thing and with lots of sensory inputs

Buttons, and maybe a small soft toy

My Mum loved wrapping paper and gift cards!
Pens, especially in little tins with paper clips, pencils and rubbers.
Purses with lots of loyalty cards in .
Lip balm. Hair bobbles and clips in a zip up bag.

My Dad has Dementia. My son spent a lovely hour sorting through shells that he'd brought back from holiday. He sat and examined each one, over and over. It was enjoyable for him and I think will be a very special memory for him when my Dad is no longer with us.
I've also made him a photo book and he enjoys wax crayons for drawing.

If you have a laminator you could laminate some pictures of things that mean something to her - places, gadgets, people.

I was googling to try and find a book that my daughter used to have - it was a DK book and it had a pocket on each page and you could lift the flaps and put the things into other pockets - really hard to explain! So there would be a fridge and you could put the milk and cheese in the fridge or an oven and you put the casserole inside and the saucepan on top. But while I was looking for that I came across sequencing cards - there are some you can buy and others you can print off. Would she like those?

If not sequencing cards what about playing cards? She can separate them by suites or by numbers or even Snap or Happy Families?

If you can crochet / knit , how about doing square or circles but don't quite finish off , I know a few ladies that like unravelling them and putting back to a little ball of yarn for you to re do.

These ideas are going to keep her so occupied, thank you :)

My DM had dementia and she loved things from when she was young. If you could find a book of old photos from your home town I think she'd enjoy that. I'm sorry you're both having to go through this.

Old books, that’s another fantastic idea !!

Do you have any support groups nearby? Pre Covid I volunteered as an art therapist for people with dementia and I was amazed by how much our clients were capable of. It's really important to keep conversation going - no matter how long it takes - and to encourage creativity. Creativity in many forms is key. Please see if there is an art group nearby. You don't need to be artistic at all. Art unlocks a lot of memories.

Lovely ideas.

Brush, comb & hanky?

There are some absolutely lovely ideas on this thread. I can remember my DM button tin when I was small. Do you think a small tin of buttons would keep her occupied for a little while?