Autumn Crafts for Elderly Mom and Dad

by Connie
(Denver, CO)

Autumn Crafts for Elderly

When the colors change and the leaves start to drop, the crafting begins! My friends’ parents are elderly (in their mid 80s) but still live at home, thanks to home health care services and nearby family members.

It's one of the favorite times of the year for them, leading up to the holidays, and for years, we've encouraged them to engage in a variety of autumn crafts and crafting activities.

Of course, we have to cater the activities to their cognitive and physical abilities. Her dad's eyesight is failing, and her mom has rheumatoid arthritis, so of course, adaptation is required.

Just because they may no longer be able to carve a pumpkin doesn't mean that they can't decorate one. Using ribbons, markers, pom-poms, and wiggly eyes, they have a great time decorating small pumpkins to place in their front yard, as well as for giveaways to friends and neighbors.

Painting pumpkins and gourds also increases the imagination and creativity, and there's no wrong or right way to paint or decorate a pumpkin or squash.

Her mother is especially fond of creating funny faces on the pumpkins she paints, while the dad leans to the scary. It doesn't matter - they have fun!

Her mom is also rather fond of making bookmarks out of a variety of materials that are easily found at every local craft store.

Her dad's favorite crafts are those themed around Halloween, and he takes advantage of the wide variety of pine cone crafts that he can do. (We have zillions of pine cones in our backyard) and he makes pine cone angels and fairies out of pine cones, leaves, pine needles and small crafting feathers that can be found at local craft stores.

All you need is the basic items based on preference, some craft glue, and their imagination goes wild!

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Autumn Crafts
by: Anonymous

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Pumkin Design Ideas - Judging Complexity
by: Anonymous

Willingness to adapt difficulty levels as well as supplies is also essential in encouraging seniors to engage in autumn crafts and crafting activities.

If a craft is too complicated or ends up frustrating your loved one, it's defeating the purpose.

I always make an effort, when introducing a new craft with my grandmother, to sit down and do it with her to gauge her capability and level of enjoyment.

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Pumkin Design Ideas
by: Patricia

I really like the idea of painting pumpkins and gourds.

My elderly mother always took great joy in carving out exquisite pumpkin designs but I was afraid she was going to hurt yourself with the knife, so the idea of painting is an adequate substitute. I'm sure she'll go for that - thanks for the idea!

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