Wondering around asking for things to do

[Sammie234]

My husband has started to obsess with finding things to do from the moment we get up till late in the evening is it just boredom or part of the illness. The last couple of years he hasn't wanted to do much at all now he wants to be doing something all the time. I have been finding him jobs replanting to do of pot plants currently. We don't have a garden the cottage only has a back patio. Any ideas out there he doesn't like socialising with others so clubs are out.

 

[Tin]

Have you thought about giving him a list of daily household chores? its not all women's work! Vacuum, moping, polishing - Silver is a good one. A couple of years ago I got my mum to pot up individual hyacinths, we gave them all away for Christmas.

 

[Sammie234]

Yes I've done that not silver polishing we don't have any silver to polish. He does all the washing up generally speaking I deliberately leave that for him because it's something else for him to do. Not polishing or dusting because he won't regardless. It will still be in the same place. He is constantly making cups of tea though ☕️ Even if I ask for coffee

 

[Tin]

Have you tried jig saw puzzles? Initially my mum was not interested but once she saw me doing one, she took over. I picked up a lot from charity shops.

 

[sajimjo]

Much to my surprise my OH enjoyed adult colouring books. He finished about 15 books over a long period of time, sadly he has lost interest in them now. I bought him small childrens jigsaws and some nice building bricks which he fiddles with.

 

[canary]

I think this restlessness - that they aught to be doing something but cant work out what - in the evenings is part of the disease. I have discovered that my OH likes ironing! He only does things like hankies and tea towels, but I hate ironing and every little helps.
Mum liked jigsaws too, they seem quite popular. Or try getting him to "sort out" a drawer.

 

[Sammie234]

Have tried all those apart from the ironing. He does the puzzles for so ling then gets frustrated with it and shives it all back un its box, at least he dissent throwvit all in the floor Thanks for all the advice anyway

 

[Cat27]

Have you tried putting together a fidget box?
Put in things he likes eg cards or dominos, button or screws etc

 

[Caz60]

I leave an emery board by his chair and yes he does use it .Sometimes he picks at his nails so I pass him the every board and it keeps him busy for a whi,e and gets him over his agitation.
You can but try .xxx

 

[Loopiloo]

It seems to be part of dementia, my husband was the same. I felt he had an awareness that there were things he could no longer do and was frustrated. When I was doing certain things he would say "I can do that" - but they were things he could no longer do. He also did all the washing up - and was very obsessive about it. Very much his territory. At times, as the disease progressed, he would leave the washing up until late, but if I tried to quietly do it he would be furious!

Some good suggestions here.

Loo xx

 

[jenniferjean]

My husband likes to come and help in the kitchen. If I'm washing up he'll pick up a tea-towel and start to dry them. But as soon as I stop washing he'll stop drying and say "I'll leave the rest".

 

[LynneMcV]

I used to get my husband to do the drying up, help sort out the recycling, take the laundered clothes and towels to the bedroom/bathroom, fill up the bird feeders.

He can still dry up but, as his abilities and sense of balance have declined, I have adapted some of the things he can do. He helps shred paperwork, carries the bird feeders to their locations (once filled), throws out stale bread for the birds (as he no longer has the ability to fill the feeders), does a bit of light weeding (supervised), helps wash the car, cleans the worktop (not well, but it keeps him busy), polishes shoes with a 'magic' sponge (not polish, it would be a nightmare ). I also give him our music cassettes to sort through and rearrange as he pleases - that can take some time as he likes to look at the covers

I bought him a colouring book with items of interest to the male gender (cars, boats, motorbikes, rockets etc) - he hasn't coloured anything yet but he likes looking at the images.

 

[Sammie234]

Thank you all for the replies I can't let him do the recycling I already end up doing it twice as it is, he puts all the recycling straight into the bin regardless what it is I then have to go and fish it all out, I have shown him what goes in What but he forgets . I had to empty some of the gardening bin out not only had he put the weeds in he was doing but that much soil I couldn't even move it. He hadn't bothered to shake the soil off it