Quick Craft Project for Alzheimer’s Patients
August 20, 2007 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Before Alzheimer’s patients reach the latter stages of Alzheimer’s, they’re still able to participate in craft activities. Even then, they often enjoy watching. I had an enjoyable time working with patients at a nursing home on a scrapbooking project. Collages can be fun, too. Often while working on these projects, patients are stimulated to chat and laugh and reminisce.
Recently I came across an interesting collage type project that would be easy (because it doesn’t take long) for Alzheimer’s patients, particularly those in the earlier stages. It’s also inexpensive, often a consideration for craft activities at nursing homes or ones you’re undertaking at home.
This is Katelyn’s Gift Tags from Scraps at Stamping Mad. I realized this would be an interesting project for quilters and fabric artists, so also called attention it on my Quilting and Patchwork blog, Qulting Scraps for Patchwork Gift Tags.
If you need a rather quick, inexpensive project to use with Alzheimer’s patients, why not try either of these or create gift tags using both or mixed media? You can try stamping techniques, too…or many other gift tag ideas that are available (250 in the book below).
An added note…this gift tag idea (collaging with paper and fabric) could be utilized for a number of projects. My daughter has been making paper collages for a quilting class, just to get the quilters accustomed to putting scraps together to represent events in their lives, designs they might like to try, various color combinations, etc. Alzheimer’s patients (and youngsters) could do this with pictures from magazines, too. This activity keeps them busy, keeps their fingers active, their minds more active, and often gets them communicating and reminiscing.
My mother has Alzheimers. She loves to color. This keeps her content. I am looking for victorian ladies, or ladies dressed in that style. Mom has a few of these, and is very proud of coloring all of the details.
Can y ou help?
Hi Beth,
Dover Publications has a wonderful selection of coloring books. Try http://store.doverpublications.com/0486413187.html or http://store.doverpublications.com/0486415554.html.