Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 95F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

People with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia may show anxiety or agitation through fidgety hands. Signs include pulling or rubbing at clothes or bedding, rubbing hands together, twisting fingers, wringing hands and generally keeping hands in motions.

Sensory therapy or fidget toys are an effective way to reduce anxiety, calm nerves and provide comfort. These simple touch-based activities with no right or wrong may help someone keep their restless hands occupied in safe, soothing ways.

No matter what the activity or toy, just remember that the goal is to engage your older adult in something fun and keep their hands happily occupied.

It’s important to find activities that are safe. You know your family member best and can choose what works best for them. For example, some seniors tend to put things in their mouth. If that’s the case, avoid anything that could become a choking hazard. Other seniors may like to tie strings around fingers and restrict circulation. If your family member has any unsafe tendencies, be sure to avoid anything that could be dangerous for them.

Fidget blankets can be easily made with minimal sewing. Start with a fluffy bath towel or a large piece of soft fleece and securely sew on a variety of embellishments. Sew a zipper on so they can unzip and zip it up. Put some ribbons on for them to tie together, put some beads on a string or ribbon so they can slide them back and forth. You could sew on a flap and Velcro it closed. The ideas are endless. Put things on it that they can move around or play with.

You can make up activities for them. Give them hand towels to fold. Ask them to smooth out crumpled paper. Gather a stack of unimportant papers and ask them to organize them. You can put a junk drawer on the table and ask them to organize it. Make a fidget box and pull out the box when they need something to do and throw everything back into the box when they are done. Get a container and fill it with some inexpensive odds and ends you have around the house. Use things that are a variety of colors, old keys on a key ring, stress balls for squeezing, brightly colored springs like a slinky. Some seniors like to keep familiar items with them like a purse or wallet. Put some things in it so they can rummage through it. Anything for them to play with will keep them occupied.

Doucet is caregiver coordinator at LTCA of Enid Area Agency on Aging. She can be contacted at (580) 234-7475 or tdoucet@ltcaenid.org.

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