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Nisha 23rd Apr 2019 Occupational Therapist Technical Instructor
Hi I am activity co ordinator I have a gentleman who has alzheimer's he has very little communication skills left and tends to pace up and down the ward area. He has a very short attention span to a paoiny I can not do any activities with him. He has a staff member with him at all times as he can be very intrusive and has a tendency to grab hold of people. Staff at times struggle with him as he exhosts them out. I would like your advice and knowledge in finding activities that might cater to these kind of behaviours. So far I have only managed one activity witch was catching a ball and this lasted no more than 3 4 minutes. I am trying to find a therapeutic balance for this individual.
Susan 24th Apr 2019 Activity Director
This can be a difficult problem
We had a resident with similar problems but his wife came in a lot which helped out
Something he'd like to do is to take a disk with Velcro on it and a tennis ball which sticks to the Velcro he would stick and on stick that for a long time I was surprised but grateful
We had a Nother resident with difficult behavior
She like to peel oranges. Took her a long time and then she had the reward of being able to eat the
orange
Have you checked these articles out
https://www.goldencarers.com/comments/20896/
https://www.goldencarers.com/how-to-decrease-problem-behaviors/5056/
https://www.goldencarers.com/how-to-respond-to-challenging-behavior/3847/
Susan 25th Apr 2019 Director of Activities
Have you tried portable music he likes with head phones?
We have one gentleman who punches holes in paper with a 3 hole punch; he thinks its his job.
We have one gentleman who hold a baby doll; he thinks its his grandchild.
Have you heard of companion pets, there are cats and dogs who are interactive and our residents love them.
Hope this was helpful :)
Susan 25th Apr 2019 Activity Director
Thank you Susan
These are wonderful ideas
Nisha these are worth a try

I assume you have done a root cause analysis to see if you can figure out why this person acts the way he does
It may be something internal which means you really you can't do anything about it except to distract him but it may be something external which you can do something about

If it is an internal problem with the person then it's trial and error to see you what works and what doesn't

As you know what works one day may not work the next
Molly 29th Apr 2019 Activity Professional & Writer
Hi Nisha, do you walk with him? I've worked with several walkers and found that walking with them does engage them. I'll hand them water, or hold their hand or rub their back. When you sync up with their movements, they will even sometimes follow your lead so if I sat down, they would too. It may not be for long, but at least they are getting some rest from the constant walking. I think it is important to say also that sometimes all they need is the company and trying too many things to distract or engage him may be frustrating for him. We wrote in many of our walkers care plan that their 1:1 intervention was to walk with them for 10-15 minutes a day daily, and other activity pursuits were offered PRN (as needed).
Susan 29th Apr 2019 Activity Director
Good ideas Molly
Thank you
Susan 29th Apr 2019 Activity Director
Good ideas Molly
Thank you

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