Keeping it Simple

As a Certified Activity Professional at times I could get caught up in my head and make planning activities difficult. When this would happen I would go to this list. This is the 101 things to do list from the Alzheimer's Association. It is really simple but as I have learned sometimes the simplest ideas work the best.

How can you use these ideas while practicing PPA?

By Susan Lonn Lonn, Madonna Adult Day Services, Lincoln, Nebraska. Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County Chapter Newsletter – Summer 1994, Revised 6/98 101 THINGS TO DO 1 of 3 Activities For Caregivers: 101 Things to Do 1. Clip coupons 2. Sort poker chips 3. Count tickets 4. Rake leaves 5. Use the carpet sweeper 6. Read out loud from: Good Old Days Box 428 Seabrook, NH 03874-0428 7. Bake cookies 8. Look up names in the phone book 9. Read the daily paper out loud 10. Ask a friend or neighbor who has a baby or young child to visit 11. Listen to music 12. Plant seeds indoors or outside 13. Look at family photos 14. toss a ball 15. Color pictures 16. Make homemade lemonade 17. Wipe off the table 18. Weed the flower bed 19. Make cream cheese mints: *2lbs powdered sugar *8 oz. Cream cheese *2 drops peppermint extract *food coloring as desired *knead together and press into mint molds 20. Have a spelling bee 21. Read from: The Reader’s Digest Pleasantville, NY 10570 22. Fold clothes 23. Have a neighbor or friend visit with a “calm” pet 24. Cut pictures out of greeting cards 25. Dress up; fancy or fun 26. Bake homemade bread 27. Sort objects such as beads by shape or color 28. Sing Christmas carols 29. Say, “tell me more” when they start talking about a memory By Susan Lonn Lonn, Madonna Adult Day Services, Lincoln, Nebraska. Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County Chapter Newsletter – Summer 1994, Revised 6/98 101 THINGS TO DO 2 of 3 30. Put silverware away 31. Make a valentine collage 32. Play favorite songs and sing together 33. Take a ride 34. Make a cherry pie 35. Read aloud from: Ideals P.O. Box 1101 Milwaukee, WS 53201 36. Dye Easter Eggs 37. Match a basket of socks 38. Take a ride 39. Make a cherry pie 40. String cheerios to hang outside for the birds 41. Make a fresh fruit salad 42. Sweep the patio 43. Color paper shamrocks green 44. Fold towels 45. Have an afternoon tea 46. Remember great inventions 47. Play Pictionary 48. Paint a sheet 49. Cut out paper dolls 50. Identify states and capitols 51. Make a family tree poster 52. Color a picture of a flag 53. Cook hot dogs outside 54. Grow magic rocks 55. Water house plants 56. Reminisce about the first kiss 57. Play horse shoes 58. Dance 59. Sing favorite hymns 60. Make homemade ice cream 61. Force bulbs for winter blooming 62. Make Christmas cards 63. Sort playing cards by their color 64. Write a letter to a family member 65. Dress in red on football Saturdays 66. Pop popcorn 67. Name the presidents 68. Give a manicure 69. Make paper butterflies 70. Plant a tree 71. Make a May basket 72. Make homemade apple sauce 73. Finish famous sayings 74. Feed the ducks 75. Mold with play dough 76. Look at pictures in a National Geographic National Geographic Society PO Box 2895 Washington, DC 02077-9960 77. Put a simple puzzle together 78. Sand wood By Susan Lonn Lonn, Madonna Adult Day Services, Lincoln, Nebraska. Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County Chapter Newsletter – Summer 1994, Revised 6/98 101 THINGS TO DO 3 of 3 79. Rub on pleasant scented hand lotion 80. Decorate paper placemats 81. Arrange fresh flowers 82. Remember famous people 83. Straighten the underwear drawer 84. Finish nursery rhymes 85. Make peanut butter sandwiches 86. Wipe off the patio furniture 87. Cut up used paper for scratch paper 88. Take care of a fish tank 89. Trace and cut out leaves 90. Ask simple trivia questions 91. Finish Bible quotes 92. Paint with string 93. Make a collage out of picture 94. Read classic short stories 95. Put coins into a jar 96. Sew sewing cards 97. Put bird feed out for birds 98. Clean out a pumpkin 99. Reminisce about a favorite summer 100. Roll yarn into a ball 101. Make a birthday cake