I work at a nursing home as an activities director. I need ideas for new and exciting things I can do with them. Please keep in mind, that not many of them can do anything. Many only have the use of one hand.
I would also like to beg you to get involved in your local home. Many of them don't get visitors and could use friends. If you call ahead, most places will have someone able and ready to go for an ice cream or even church on Sundays. You can help simply by grabbing your pet and/or a book (I like the Chicken Soup books) and just go read to them, or hold a hand, you won't be sorry.
I volunteer at a local nursing home and do crafts several times a month.
Ideas that have worked well:
Rubber stamping -- I ink the stamps and place them on the paper where the resident wants it. The resident pushes down on the stamp to make the imprint. Most residents have the strength to push down on the stamp. We have made pictures and greeting cards from the stamps.
Stickers -- we have made pictures and cards using stickers. The helper removes the sticker from the sticker sheet and the resident places it where she wants.
Last week we made foam door hangers for the residents' rooms. The kits had self-adhesive letters and stamps. I brought my digital camera and printer to the nursing home and took pictures of the residents which they added to the foam hanger. I bought the kits from the Oriental Trading Company craft catalogue -- about $5 for a set of 12.
Last Christmas my 20 year old grand daughter and one of her friends called a local nursing home and asked how many residents they had, and if it would be OK if they brought each resident a Christmas card with a really little candy cane attached to it. They went to a dollar store and bought the cards and candy canes, and taped one candy cane to each card, and set a date to deliver them. My grand daughter said some of the residents got tears in their eyes when they recieved their card.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Lyn L. (Guest Post)
Make a mood chart. This is good for those who cannot communicate well. Can be made from felt or something that can have velcro attached to make it stick and removeable. Make faces happy, sad, confused etc and head the chart I AM FEELING. The resident can help make the chart and this is a form of communication. So may times each day a resident is asked 'how are you feeling' Now they can tell you.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Lyn L. (Guest Post)
Not a craft idea but lots of fun for all. Take a large jar and put a much smaller jar inside. Fill with water to the top and place the lid on the larger jar after making a slit in the top (Like a money bank, and ensure no sharp edges) Take small coins and drop through the slit to see how many you can get into the small jar. Staff and relatives can't resist having a go either.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Lyn L. (Guest Post)
Sweet making. No cook fudge, peppermint creams, coconut ice. All go down well and easy to do with no cooking. The residents get to bake again and also get to eat and share with their friends who cannot do anything.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Lyn L. (Guest Post)
I am an activities coordinator at a nursing home and Dementia unit. Some residents have found the chest that is stuffed with big bead necklaces, old watches, bracelets, headbands, head scarves etc is great to dress up with or just feel the fabrics and textures. Also you find them saying 'oh I had one of these' and starts a conversation and brings back memories.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Lyn L. (Guest Post)
Draw a simple large butterfly shape and photocopy as many as needed. Scrunch up 1inch or 2inch squares of tissue paper and decorate the butterfly. Cut out and hang up with invisible thread. Works of art on display and also the residents who cannot communicate can see them hanging. Very colourful
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Lyn L. (Guest Post)
I have found that salt dough craft is very good. The making of the dough is good exercise for fingers and the rolling out. Cutting shapes and painting them afterward. We sell resident crafts at our summer fete and relatives love to buy their loved ones work of art.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By debby48 (Guest Post)
I was just thinking about doing something with the folks at nursing home where my mom is at. I do alot of scrapbooking and card making so I thought I'd ask if alright to hold scrapbooking classs there for folks. One idea is to use paper bags folded and glued as the book then scrap it, decorate ect and have them title it ME or all about me. Have each person put things about them; like if they liked to cook put cooking stickers ect. Plus pictures of them thru the years remember a paper bag scrap book is easy to make and not costly at all.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Cassandra (Guest Post)
Well I am planning to visit someone at a nursing home soon. I want to do something nice this year even if it's just one person picked at a nursing home, it just feels like it's time to help someone out and make them feel like they have people around them who really do care.
I am thinking about buying a small stocking and filling it with stuff like pens wrapped in ribbon making them colorful, a Christmas poem, a nice book, and some candles, I am going to buy small candle holders and decorate them then put green and red candles inside. I also want to make decorations or take stuff and have them help me make their room look more colorful and seem a lot nicer to be in, make streamers, things to brighten the window.
It'll be a lot of fun and I'm writing this because if you're thinking of doing something for someone, don't change your mind, it will make them happy and you will know that you made someone feel hopeful.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Debbie -Owen Sound, Ontario (Guest Post)
Scrap booking seems to be the thing also. It is easy and can be done even if you have only the use of one hand. It helps keep their memories intact a little while longer and it is something that their kids can treasure and maybe help with as well by adding new pictures to the book as pages are added.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Charlotte (Guest Post)
My mother was in a nursing home for a couple of years and she loved "craft-making" day. She decorated a small vine wreath for me that is still hanging on our house. She also made me stuffed pillows and strung beads. They give me great pleasure whenever I look at them or touch them.
What about having them do some actual art activities? I am thinking of watercolor painting. If you do not know anything about watercolor, perhaps you could contact an art teacher or artist in the community to show you how to do some projects, or better yet, to volunteer to come into the home. I think this would be a very good activity. Those who are artistic can paint. Those who are less capable can do something abstract that may still turn out very nice. If you want to do something other than make paintings to hang on the wall, you could do small ones and turn them into greeting cards. I would use fairly good quality materials -- the paper is the most important thing. One of the homes that I know of had a professional artist in residence that facilitated art activities rather than crafty things.
One thing that would be nice for people who do like crafty things is to paint on precut wooden ornaments. I do a lot of this stuff with my middle years students at school. They make particularly nice wooden Xmas ornaments. You can use acrylic paints, but even easier is colored markers. We used white out pens to put "snow" on the houses, and you could use actual glitter and glue, or glitter pens to put shiny things on these if you liked that effect. Depends what you are making. I prefer them without the glitter. Coloring with markers -- fine tipped if you are making small things -- is much easier than painting, and much less messy. Even someone who has only one hand could do this. One kid picked a duckling cutout and just colored it over and over to get a glowing yellow duckling. It was very effective.
Another craft that is quite easy is to cover a bottle or a juice can (cardboard) with ripped up pieces of masking tape. Then this is polished with a medium brown shoe polish, and buffed to a shine. It makes a mock leather bottle or pencil holder if you are doing the can thing. They could make it for their grandchildren!!! Turn the tables on them!!! Even those with only one hand could do the tape and the buffing.
Bless you for your work and for reminding people to get involved as a volunteer at nursing homes!
A couple of decades ago I had a really large, mellow, declawed, twenty-four toed cat that I would take to the senior center a couple times a month and, man, did it ever feel good to see all those faces light up being able to see, pet and hold a pussy cat!
When my time comes to be in a nursing home or retirement community I think it would simply be fun to be a kid again with things like crayons and a coloring books :-) And maybe at Christmas time to even string popcorn garland for the community tree :-) Even those who only have use of one hand can team with someone else and feel job well done :-)
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By (Guest Post)
This isn't a craft idea but the residents of the nursing home enjoyed watching the staff play water balloon baseball. They even get involved. Need a nice day though
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By Debbie W. (Guest Post)
I have been volunteering for over ten years with my children at the local nursing home. We call it Moms, Tots & Pops. My five children range in age from 14 to 4. I set up a date once a month and we have about 20 - 30 people who participate. They love the kids being there and sometimes other moms and kids join in. The following are examples of things we do throughout the year. I try to tie it in with the season. We make suncatchers sometimes out of tissue paper and contact paper, we have also used beads and string, We have made sand designs, painted eggs for Easter, made picture frames, bookmarks, painted small pumpkins, marble painting on card stock to make cards, streamer windsocks in red/white/blue, memory cards, potpouri sachets, yarn dolls, pine cone turkeys, paper airplanes along with making magnet fish to have a game day. We've done garden pot decorating, hand wreaths, turkey pins, turkey pine cones, and a candy pipe cleaner Christmas tree. I hope those suggestions help. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just Google it, it will probably come up with directions and pictures for you.
Have fun and bring your kids/grandkids, neighborhood kids they make it that much more fun for the residents.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
By tholtz (Guest Post)
This isn't really a craft, but many of the nursing homes in our area are purchasing Wii consoles for their residents. The games that come with the console are some of the favorites. Many of the residents love to bowl, but can't hold the ball anymore This gives them a chance to play, but is much easier on them - AND it gets them moving
Login using the form on the top of the page to post feedback (if you are a registered user). If you have not yet registered, click here to do so. It's FREE!.
Archives:
Request: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
Archived on 08/15/2008
I have a mother-in-law that is in a nursing home and they need some physical craft ideas for the elderly to do. They don't want to leave the building, as they feel its safe inside. So, please if I could get some ideas to give to the young director who doesn't know what to do it would be great. She didn't ask for my help, but I want it for my Mother. Thank you
Marilyn from Belen, NM
Answers:
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
Card fronts from used cards (Christmas, birthday, anniversary, etc.) can be cut off and remade into new cards using craft paper, construction paper, card stock, etc. (06/16/2008)
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
Here are a few ideas for nursing home activities:
Fleece lap blankets. Cut edged of two fleece pieces about 4" deep and 1! wide around edges. Tie together with overhand knot.
Popsicle sticks from craft store: make square box with lid (bead for handle) or hexagonal baskets.
Body scrubs: nylon net strips cut about 3" wide. Sew down center in a basting stitch with heavy duty thread and pull to form ball.
Sing songs that require physical actions such as hokey pokey or did you ever see a lassie. The older people enjoy singing old songs. Can be done without music or use tape or CD if no pianist is available.
Large beads make into a bracelet or necklace.
Tossing beanbags or small soft balls into a basket and keeping track of points.
Catch with a soft ball
Kicking a large soft ball from one to another sitting in circle.
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
I go to the nursing home my mother manages quite frequently. We have a craft room where we have coffee and crafts. One craft they do is paint old light bulbs and seashells white. On the bulbs you can make a snowman face and hat and scarf. On the seashells you can paint a Santa Claus face on the middle to have a beard surrounding it.
You could also sew patches of material to make pillows. We have one lady who isn't interested in crafts but likes to join in. We have a big ball of multi-colored yarn and un-roll it and let her roll it back together. It is easy to do and like therapy. (06/18/2008)
By Lydia
RE: Craft Ideas for Someone That Lives in a Nursing Home
Here is one idea: Using a clean soup can, make sure there is no sharp edge on inside, coat the outside with Elmer's glue or whatever work best for you. Take yarn, start at either end and wrap around can till covered. Can be used for pencil, pen holder. Different size cans can be used for assorted things, use your imagination. (06/18/2008)
Request: Craft Ideas For Someone That Lives In A Nursing Home
Archived on 06/16/2008
There is a elderly lady we know who just moved from her cozy house here on the lake, to a nursing home. I love to do crafts and she loves getting gifts from me. Her place is small and she really misses her old house because she has lived there for over 30 years. Can anyone give me some ideas on what to make her?
Thanks,
Kristi
Answers:
RE: Craft Ideas For Someone That Lives In A Nursing Home
Just a few ideas I have done in the past for folks:
Quilted lap robes, quilt for their bed, velcroed fabric carriers that hang on their walkers or wheelchairs to put stuff in. A fabric deal that is weighted and goes over the arm of the chair to hold TV remote. Quilted picture frames. A dog bone shaped neck pillow
Actually, I have taken my projects to show them what I have been working on and just visited them. If you have a pet or child take them along. Company is what they want the most to break up the day. If they are able have them do something to help you in your projects.
I make bags for missions at church and I have them insert the drawstrings. Also, make baby blankets for missions and they love to tie them. I hope these suggestions are helpful to you. God bless. (12/27/2004)
By Aline
RE: Craft Ideas For Someone That Lives In A Nursing Home
Would it be possible to make a terrarium look alike of the lake. Maybe using real and artificial plants. Maybe even use ground and small stones from her home. How about having her make a scrapbook? Or maybe makeup her own recipe cookbook to give out to her friends. (12/30/2004)
RE: Craft Ideas For Someone That Lives In A Nursing Home
Take a selection of cloth for her to choose from, making sure it's ok, then make her (or help her make for herself) switch plate covers - to give her room a more homey feeling than the institutionalized plain plasic ones. Such small things could be made personable to make a HUGE difference to what someone feels of where they have to be. Thats one of the first things I always did when I moved into a new place was switch plate covers. That's strange I guess, but it was a small and very affordable change I could make quickly. (12/30/2004)
RE: Craft Ideas For Someone That Lives In A Nursing Home
This isn't necessarily a craft idea but a worker at a nursing home suggested that the thing nursing home patients need most is socks, sweatsuits(you might decorate one) tissues (make a tissue holder) and handkerchiefs. (04/06/2005)
RE: Craft Ideas For Someone That Lives In A Nursing Home
I have found working in the activity's dept. in a nursing home that a variety of things are enjoyable, however the one craft they ask for regularly is book making. we take 3 sheets of construction paper, cut them down the middle with holes along one side to "bind"the book with yarn, and just cut their fav. pics. from a magizine. (12/30/2005)
By
RE: Craft Ideas For Someone That Lives In A Nursing Home
How about taking some pictures of the lake area where she lived and putting them into a scrap book for her? Or creating a folder for her to put her cards, photos, other mail into? I am an Activities Director in a nursing home, and my residents love things that are personal, decorative, yet have a real purpose. (05/13/2007)
By m.r.c.
RE: Craft Ideas For Someone That Lives In A Nursing Home
I know it's been a long time since you posted, but I just found this site. How about taking pictures of her former home, and then printing them out on computer fabric. You could make a lap quilt using the fabric picture squares and additional fabrics, then maybe line it with a fleece type fabric for the coziness factor. Also, you could make a plain lapquilt and embroider a cross or scripture on it. (11/27/2007)
By Marlene
RE: Craft Ideas For Someone That Lives In A Nursing Home
Crepe paper flowers are a great activity for nursing homes. Patterns range from the simple to the complex. Materials are inexpensive and not hard to find. The flowers are pretty when finished. And they bring back great memories. (05/13/2008)
