Entertainment

[wightdancer]

My dear wife lives at home with me and as time passes she becomes less and less capable of doing anything. We used to do jig-saws, colouring in pictures, making Lego things and all sorts of little activities that kept her entertained. Now she is in a far more mentally remote place and I found it almost impossible to do anything to entertain her.............then I remembered our old button boxes; tins of old buttons and things that have been in our family for generations and added to by my wife in years gone by. I give her a box of buttons and a tray after breakfast and say to her 'oh boy, these all need sorting out' and she agrees with me and gets busy moving them all around talking to them and having a lovely hour playing buttons.
I highly recommend button boxes!

 

[Canadian Joanne]

It's lovely the button box kept her busy and happy. Well done that you thought of it.

 

[marionq]

My Granny’s button box was my favourite toy as a child. It was an old gold and black tin cash box divided into sections and I could spend hours rearranging the buttons according to size, shape, colour etc.

 

[Grannie G]

My grandma also had a button box which I sorted when I was a child. Now all my spare buttons are in little plastic bags and I don`t think I`ve ever had cause to use one.

You were inspired @wightdancer

 

[Sarasa]

Im another one who loved my MSN’s button box as a child. I now have my own though I don’t do that much seeing. Glad you found something to keep
Your wife entertained @wightdancer ,

 

[Batsue]

I remember the button box my mum had, me and my brother had a horror of putting our hands in it and I used to chase him with a particularly huge and nasty button tied onto a piece of cotton

 

[LadyA]

I've also got a button box. A pretty, old, biscuit tin. Hopefully, when my grandsons are a little older, they will enjoy playing with them.

 

[PalSal]

I really love this idea, and have a beautiful image of your wife enjoying herself with her beautiful buttons.
My husband has never had any activities in our house together, he never liked puzzles, or games much, It is walking , walking or walking for him. He has not been able to follow programs for many years (was never much for TV. I have often wished for a solution like the button box.

 

[Lirene]

I’m almost 67 and still have the button box my nana had, complete with buttons!
When times are really bad with my mum and husband I lay in bed and walk around my nana and grandad’s house in my mind - amazingly I can ‘see’ everything and it really helps give me a place of comfort.
Love and hugs xx

 

[Justmary]

That was a lovely idea. I wish I could find something similar for my husband. He never liked puzzles, he stopped reading 2 years ago. His great passion was diving but he won't watch anything on the TV or look at magazines about it. So I'm always looking out for new ideas.

 

[Bythspirit]

Just a thought, but would a tin of nuts, bolts, screws be the male equivalent of a button box - or am I being sexist? I'd consider this for my hubby if he ever gets beyond his jigsaws .

 

[Sia]

My dear wife lives at home with me and as time passes she becomes less and less capable of doing anything. We used to do jig-saws, colouring in pictures, making Lego things and all sorts of little activities that kept her entertained. Now she is in a far more mentally remote place and I found it almost impossible to do anything to entertain her.............then I remembered our old button boxes; tins of old buttons and things that have been in our family for generations and added to by my wife in years gone by. I give her a box of buttons and a tray after breakfast and say to her 'oh boy, these all need sorting out' and she agrees with me and gets busy moving them all around talking to them and having a lovely hour playing buttons.
I highly recommend button boxes!

Hi wightdancer,

My friend's mum has been diagnosed with vascular dementia.

Out of curiosity, what sort of things do you now still do to entertain your wife? Do you guys watch comedies or listen to music?

Best wishes,

Sia

 

[nae sporran]

Welcome to the forums @Sia.
My OH does not like comedies, but she will respond to music. Early this year she had been suffering with a run of illnesses, but when I took her to a communal lounge at our sheltered housing complex for a concert she was flirting with the singer and conducting the music. One lady at our music memories monthly concerts sings along perfectly to most of the songs. It's a common theme on here that music and singing for the brain are ways to stimulate and bring a person with dementia to life as much as it will entertain them.
Does your friend's mum respond to music or to comedy?

 

[DreamsAreReal]

@wightdancer That’s a brilliant idea! I think it might work for my pwd, so thanks for sharing. I wouldn’t have thought of it

 

[Dootee]

My dear wife lives at home with me and as time passes she becomes less and less capable of doing anything. We used to do jig-saws, colouring in pictures, making Lego things and all sorts of little activities that kept her entertained. Now she is in a far more mentally remote place and I found it almost impossible to do anything to entertain her.............then I remembered our old button boxes; tins of old buttons and things that have been in our family for generations and added to by my wife in years gone by. I give her a box of buttons and a tray after breakfast and say to her 'oh boy, these all need sorting out' and she agrees with me and gets busy moving them all around talking to them and having a lovely hour playing buttons.
I highly recommend button boxes!

I love this idea thank you. Going to try it x

 

[Dootee]

I have bought snakes and ladders and ludo board games for us all to play with mum. She also likes to play snap and she wins believe it or not.

 

[Dootee]

Just a thought, but would a tin of nuts, bolts, screws be the male equivalent of a button box - or am I being sexist? I'd consider this for my hubby if he ever gets beyond his jigsaws .

I dont think so .... I think it's a colour idea. Its not a male or female thing it's a dementia game. Lots of coloured buttons should do the trick x

 

[Milatoschris]

My husband has Alzheimer’s, diagnosed 18 months ago. He doesn’t watch much new programmes on TV , though loves watching Football. We go to the pictures a lot, and he enjoys this, also the theatre. I find that when we have been to see something, he talks more. When at home he spends a lot of time on his laptop looking at the news, and maybe an old tv programme. So I try and take him out 3 / 4 times a week. I feel this will get harder as he progresses. I dread to think then what I can do to amuse him. X

 

[Thethirdmrsc]

My husband has Alzheimer’s, diagnosed 18 months ago. He doesn’t watch much new programmes on TV , though loves watching Football. We go to the pictures a lot, and he enjoys this, also the theatre. I find that when we have been to see something, he talks more. When at home he spends a lot of time on his laptop looking at the news, and maybe an old tv programme. So I try and take him out 3 / 4 times a week. I feel this will get harder as he progresses. I dread to think then what I can do to amuse him. X

That’s really interesting, as my OH used to love football, but now cannot concentrate on a whole match, he also can’t remember how to work the remote to get the TV on. We are only 2 yrs in, but although he is 80, he has never used a laptop or iPad, so I find it hard to find something for him to do.

 

[Ding Dong]

How about Dominos. Some domino sets have the spots in colours, red for sixes, blue for fives etc.
Animal snap can be played as snap, or suggest “these cards have got muddled up, can you find all the squirrels for me. You can get a vehicle version with trucks, diggers etc.
Top Trumps is a similar card game with lots of different categories, like cars, aeroplanes.
If your loved one cannot cope with cards, there are “fidget” toys.Tangle Toy is curved tubes you can twist into different shapes. Another (I don't know their name) is a caterpillar made of wooden beads joined with strong elastic.