Toys For Grandpas
October 16, 2015 8:53 AM Subscribe
Visited my Grandpa last night, and he's bored. He has very poor eyesight, nearly deaf, motor skills are deteriorating, short of breath...but he's still sharp as a tack. What can he do as a pastime, rather than sit on the couch all day?
He is in an assisted living home, and they do have activities, but Grandpa was a farmer, a tinkerer, a woodworker, but he can't really do that any more. He's OK at playing cards, but his eyesight doesn't help with that. Puzzles require too much dexterity; crosswords and books need better eyesight. My wife imagines something like "toddler" toys, fun things that don't require a lot of manual dexterity or instruction reading, but are still an enjoyable pastime (we're not suggesting actual children's toys, that's just an apt comparison).
In googling around, most of what I see is for dementia/alzheimers, but that's definitely not his problem; the mind is strong, but the body is 94 years old, and we can tell he's bored due to the limitations of his situation. What should we be looking at that would make his day a bit more stimulating?
He is in an assisted living home, and they do have activities, but Grandpa was a farmer, a tinkerer, a woodworker, but he can't really do that any more. He's OK at playing cards, but his eyesight doesn't help with that. Puzzles require too much dexterity; crosswords and books need better eyesight. My wife imagines something like "toddler" toys, fun things that don't require a lot of manual dexterity or instruction reading, but are still an enjoyable pastime (we're not suggesting actual children's toys, that's just an apt comparison).
In googling around, most of what I see is for dementia/alzheimers, but that's definitely not his problem; the mind is strong, but the body is 94 years old, and we can tell he's bored due to the limitations of his situation. What should we be looking at that would make his day a bit more stimulating?
Is he game for books on tape? I recently spent a few weeks largely immobile due to a badly sprained ankle, and they were a godsend.
posted by ryanshepard at 9:02 AM on October 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by ryanshepard at 9:02 AM on October 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
Does he have any hearing? If so, he might really like audible books or podcasts on something portable, like an iPod. Then he can listen to something interesting.
posted by bearwife at 9:03 AM on October 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by bearwife at 9:03 AM on October 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
How much time do you have to interact with him? If you have time to spare, I would make a regular daily/weekly appointment to interview him, and record it. Get him to talk about his past, the things he's seen, the things he remembers, the things he's learned ... you could do this with really inexpensive recording equipment, and I'll bet the result would be hours of audio that would be spellbinding for future generations.
posted by jbickers at 9:12 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jbickers at 9:12 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: We did the recording his history already, thanks for the suggestion. He has been hard of hearing for forty years and it's now to the point where you have to be sitting right next to him to hear; he and Grandma watch tv with closed-captioning and the volume turned to maximum (she's nearly deaf as well). Plus most technology to play podcasts and books on tape are really, really hard for him, with tiny buttons and touchscreens that both fingers and eyes need better accuracy to use -- he has a flip phone with bigger-than-average buttons and that's still tough for him to run. When they moved, they got rid of their tape player and cassettes, including books-on-tape they owned, because they couldn't hear it anymore. I'm not entirely ruling that out, though -- with some 'can' headphones and the right technology it might be a workable idea.
We're thinking more things that he can do with his hands, despite the loss of sensitivity and dexterity.
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:21 AM on October 16, 2015
We're thinking more things that he can do with his hands, despite the loss of sensitivity and dexterity.
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:21 AM on October 16, 2015
Is there an Occupational Therapist associated with the assisted living home? They would be much more acquainted with the details of his condition than a bunch of helpful but random people on the internet, and could come up with some physically-interactive fun things for him to do that would work with his challenges.
posted by matildaben at 9:24 AM on October 16, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by matildaben at 9:24 AM on October 16, 2015 [5 favorites]
How about painting? Get him some acrylics and brushes and let him go crazy.
posted by archimago at 9:25 AM on October 16, 2015
posted by archimago at 9:25 AM on October 16, 2015
Playing cards for low vision? Also, he would only need to learn 13 Braille numbers for Braille cards if he can't see the big number cards. That would be a mind challenge too.
posted by cecic at 9:26 AM on October 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by cecic at 9:26 AM on October 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
When my grandfather's eyesight was going, my dad found a large magnifying glass (made of plastic though, dimensions probably about 10"x10"), and rigged it up with a perpendicular piece that could hold it against his chest and a cord so that my grandfather could wear it around his neck. This was in the 80s; I wouldn't be surprised if there was something like that available ready-made now. I'm pretty sure that you can get an iPad app that magnifies through the camera.
posted by amro at 9:27 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by amro at 9:27 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm thinking art projects with a lot of tactile sensory input, like making clay pots.
posted by Aranquis at 9:29 AM on October 16, 2015
posted by Aranquis at 9:29 AM on October 16, 2015
Could he learn braille? I'm not sure how much motor skills you would need, but if his mind is all there, and he's willing, it could open books back up to him? There are "jumbo" versions available for people with disabilities.
posted by Mchelly at 9:31 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Mchelly at 9:31 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Technically designed for children, but most adults I know also enjoy playing with Legos. If they are too small for him to easily manipulate, they make bigger versions (Duplos). Might be nice for a tinkerer.
posted by rabbitbookworm at 9:33 AM on October 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by rabbitbookworm at 9:33 AM on October 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm not as old as your grandfather, but I love podcasts. Maybe you can find the right earpiece that makes them audible for him. My favorite, as a total NPR-head, is On The Media, which talks thoughtfully about cultural changes. He might prefer the Intelligence Squared debates which tackle a range of issues in a debate formal, giving one both pros and cons to assess.
For reading, my husband now needs magnified print on some kind of e-reader.
My favorite fiddling with hands toy is pipe cleaners. Not perhaps very dignified, but easy to work with. Rubik's cube if he can see colors clearly.
Is there a physiological reason he has poor fine motor skills independent of not seeing well? Should he be getting some kind of therapy to rebuild this ability?
posted by puddledork at 9:37 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
For reading, my husband now needs magnified print on some kind of e-reader.
My favorite fiddling with hands toy is pipe cleaners. Not perhaps very dignified, but easy to work with. Rubik's cube if he can see colors clearly.
Is there a physiological reason he has poor fine motor skills independent of not seeing well? Should he be getting some kind of therapy to rebuild this ability?
posted by puddledork at 9:37 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Go with some kids toys. Magformers, Tangle,art ball, Kinetic Sand.
posted by saradarlin at 9:42 AM on October 16, 2015
posted by saradarlin at 9:42 AM on October 16, 2015
There are hearing aids with built-in Bluetooth now. A set of those, plus an adaptor from analog audio to Bluetooth is probably his best bet for getting intelligible audio. You could hook this up to an old tape deck, an iPod Shuffle preloaded with books on tape, a TV, anything with a headphone jack.
He might also get some mileage out an iPhone or iPod Touch now that voice command is a semi-workable thing (maybe with the help of that Bluetooth rig and some screen-reading software.) At the very least he could ask Siri random questions.
posted by contraption at 9:59 AM on October 16, 2015
He might also get some mileage out an iPhone or iPod Touch now that voice command is a semi-workable thing (maybe with the help of that Bluetooth rig and some screen-reading software.) At the very least he could ask Siri random questions.
posted by contraption at 9:59 AM on October 16, 2015
This might seem weird, but how would he feel about learning to knit? Big needles + hefty yarn = fluffy blankets and a new skill without needing to see much.
Also, maybe some kind of indoor gardening?
Also, though, getting him involved with an OT who can help him retain what fine motor skills he has should be a priority. A good OT will find things that engage him mentally as well.
posted by anastasiav at 10:03 AM on October 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also, maybe some kind of indoor gardening?
Also, though, getting him involved with an OT who can help him retain what fine motor skills he has should be a priority. A good OT will find things that engage him mentally as well.
posted by anastasiav at 10:03 AM on October 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yikes, I gave you a bad link there! The link above is for a Bluetooth receiver but you'd want a transmitter for the setup I've described. Also note I have no particular experience with either of those models, they're just well-reviewed examples of their types.
posted by contraption at 10:06 AM on October 16, 2015
posted by contraption at 10:06 AM on October 16, 2015
Finger knitting and arm knitting are a thing. It is soooo easy and he can make great things for himself and for others. Here's a video demonstrating finger knitting and on the right there are other finger videos and also arm videos. How to arm knit a blanket (and it's awesome).
Bet he would love a Rubik's cube. The colors make it easy to see and it works the hands and the mind.
posted by the webmistress at 10:09 AM on October 16, 2015
Bet he would love a Rubik's cube. The colors make it easy to see and it works the hands and the mind.
posted by the webmistress at 10:09 AM on October 16, 2015
A large, appropriately customized tablet could help out with the eyesight issue; zoom everything way up in size and it could be used for reading and probably some strategy games with minimal dexterity requirements.
posted by jackbishop at 10:14 AM on October 16, 2015
posted by jackbishop at 10:14 AM on October 16, 2015
Given that you've already done the audio interview thing ... lincoln logs. Even if he doesn't sit on the floor making structures, it might be rewarding just putting things together, in his lap, building things tactilely.
posted by jbickers at 10:52 AM on October 16, 2015
posted by jbickers at 10:52 AM on October 16, 2015
Kid's building stuff might entertain him. In addition to Legos/Duplo mentioned upthread, Magnatiles are super fun for all ages. Or a wooden train set. Both require preschooler levels of fine motor coordination to operate, are easy to "read" with hands, and can be reassembled lots of different ways.
If he'd be offended by really-truly kid stuff, maybe tangrams would be doable with his eyes? Or tavern puzzles, which are usually pretty big. I can imagine that kind of man getting a kick out of getting quick at folding and unfolding one of those puzzles and handing it to some doctor to struggle with.
posted by tchemgrrl at 10:56 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
If he'd be offended by really-truly kid stuff, maybe tangrams would be doable with his eyes? Or tavern puzzles, which are usually pretty big. I can imagine that kind of man getting a kick out of getting quick at folding and unfolding one of those puzzles and handing it to some doctor to struggle with.
posted by tchemgrrl at 10:56 AM on October 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nthing knitting. It's easy to learn the basic skills. I find it the engineering aspects of fashioning fabric from a thread really fascinating. All the advanced skills are built very easily on a few basic concepts. Start with big needles and thick wool, some nice stuff that feels good to the touch. The Ravelry online community might be a resource for patterns, suggestions etc
posted by Heloise9 at 10:57 AM on October 16, 2015
posted by Heloise9 at 10:57 AM on October 16, 2015
Recommend checking with your local public library, as many still have books on CD and cassette. I was listening to mine on CD, using a boombox player from the 90s that I got at a thriftstore that has large buttons.
posted by ryanshepard at 11:15 AM on October 16, 2015
posted by ryanshepard at 11:15 AM on October 16, 2015
For tv, you can get amplified wireless headphones. Slight delay on the sound, but useful. Check Youtube, Netflix, and Amazon video for "how things work" videos, maybe This Old House.
Large Print Scrabble.
Low Vision stuff from Senior Store
An old mobile phone with podcasts and a good headset.
posted by theora55 at 11:25 AM on October 16, 2015
Large Print Scrabble.
Low Vision stuff from Senior Store
An old mobile phone with podcasts and a good headset.
posted by theora55 at 11:25 AM on October 16, 2015
Nthing getting an experienced Occupational Therapist involved. It sounds like specific technical devices for hearing TV/radio (wireless loud volume earphones are great, and allow the loud volume to not bother others) and perhaps for vision (lighted magnifier) may open up some more possibilities for activities.
As for specific ideas: What about baseball cards or hockey cards to 'organise'? A table top model train set (even if its a kids one)? A few of the more tactile 'puzzles' (interlocking rings, etc) or magic tricks, which are a great way to show off to younger grandkids or even passer-byers. Lego have lots of 'adult sets' which aren't at all juvenile and especially with xerox enlarged instructions might be doable. Are there some games which he and Grandma could play together (large print version of scrabble? Bingo?)
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 3:38 PM on October 16, 2015
As for specific ideas: What about baseball cards or hockey cards to 'organise'? A table top model train set (even if its a kids one)? A few of the more tactile 'puzzles' (interlocking rings, etc) or magic tricks, which are a great way to show off to younger grandkids or even passer-byers. Lego have lots of 'adult sets' which aren't at all juvenile and especially with xerox enlarged instructions might be doable. Are there some games which he and Grandma could play together (large print version of scrabble? Bingo?)
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 3:38 PM on October 16, 2015
Coloring books? Maybe Grandma would enjoy them too. Indoor golf game, and finding the Golf TV channel for him?
posted by Cranberry at 12:10 AM on October 17, 2015
posted by Cranberry at 12:10 AM on October 17, 2015
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posted by Vaike at 8:58 AM on October 16, 2015 [2 favorites]