People struggling to talk to and interact with family members with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia can borrow memory kits from the Oak Lawn Public Library to help.
Meghan Moran, assistant department head of customer services at the Oak Lawn Library, threads a cord through a sewing card in one of the library’s memory kits for people with dementia and their caregivers.
The read-aloud books have questions and “conversation starters” a caregiver can use to engage a person with dementia. Some of the games can keep a person with dementia busy, while their caregiver tends to another task for a brief period of time. There’s also a board with laces, zippers, snaps and other fasteners for practice or merely to occupy a person’s attention.Some people in the late stages of dementia “fidget” a lot, she said. “Sometimes, it’s agitation.”
Sensory toys and activities for dementia patients are sold online, but they cost upward of $15 each, and there is no guarantee a particular game will interest the buyer’s loved one. By borrowing the totes from the library, caregivers can see what puzzles or activities their family member enjoys at no cost.
The first year, the money had to be used for technology-based materials and programs. The Oak Lawn Library bought Chromebooks reserved for its older patrons and Wi-Fi hot spots that provide users internet access.
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