- Joined
- Feb 15, 2003
Parents especially, but anyone with any experience/ideas.
My brother is 35 and is quite developmentally/mentally disabled. He is at about a 1st grade level. He only reads very simple things, does K level math, and gets frustrated easily. He can't be left alone and really is incapable of entertaining himself. He does love to watch TV-- mostly sports and the news --although he doesn't really understand it, but TV is one of his main fixations.
As a child he did entertain himself and played for hours on his own, but as an adult he no longer does. He is capable of doing tasks with repeated training like sorting laundry or using the microwave- but it is time consuming and he constantly asks if he is doing it right and seeks approval for each tiny step even for things he has been doing all of his life. (I've got my toothbrush. I put toothpaste on it, now what do I do? I brushed my teeth. What do I do with the towel?)
Since high school he has worked so that has occupied a good part of his day so it wasn't that big of a deal, but for various reasons he is no longer working and is bored. He is driving my mom crazy! My stepfather is very ill so she is taking care of him, he is at the hospital for chemo for several hours a day and mom is trying to keep their business going. DBro has to go where ever they go and sit around for hours at the hospital, at the office and at home.
He needs something to do! But we just can't figure out what. He has a Gameboy but isn't very good at it so it gets boring fast when you just keep dying/losing. He can't read or do any type or word or number puzzles. His fine motor and hand eye coordination are not great-- again, at like a very basic K or 1st grade level. But he does know he is an adult so rejects anything that would be for kids, like easier video games. I suggested some coloring books and crayons but don't think he is interested in that. He could probably use a computer with training and they have a laptop, but he doesn't want to go to "kid sites".
Any type of group activities or respite care is not an option. My parents simply refuse to let him out of their site (that is a whole 'nother issue all together!). He has no friends so no one to hang out with or to talk to. And he isn't allowed to do any chores around the house because mom feels it is just easier for her to do it than to try to teach him (again, a whole 'nother issue)
Any ideas on things that could keep him occupied? Portable and at home? Nothing that involves anything sharp, hot or messy. If you wouldn't let a 5 year old do it mostly unsupervised then it is probably too much for him. My sister are trying to think out of the box and come up with anything that he could do. Any ideas or suggestions? Money isn't really an big consideration-- if it was something he would enjoy and keep him busy we would make it happen. Heck, he doesn't even have to enjoy it -- just stay busy!!
My brother is 35 and is quite developmentally/mentally disabled. He is at about a 1st grade level. He only reads very simple things, does K level math, and gets frustrated easily. He can't be left alone and really is incapable of entertaining himself. He does love to watch TV-- mostly sports and the news --although he doesn't really understand it, but TV is one of his main fixations.
As a child he did entertain himself and played for hours on his own, but as an adult he no longer does. He is capable of doing tasks with repeated training like sorting laundry or using the microwave- but it is time consuming and he constantly asks if he is doing it right and seeks approval for each tiny step even for things he has been doing all of his life. (I've got my toothbrush. I put toothpaste on it, now what do I do? I brushed my teeth. What do I do with the towel?)
Since high school he has worked so that has occupied a good part of his day so it wasn't that big of a deal, but for various reasons he is no longer working and is bored. He is driving my mom crazy! My stepfather is very ill so she is taking care of him, he is at the hospital for chemo for several hours a day and mom is trying to keep their business going. DBro has to go where ever they go and sit around for hours at the hospital, at the office and at home.
He needs something to do! But we just can't figure out what. He has a Gameboy but isn't very good at it so it gets boring fast when you just keep dying/losing. He can't read or do any type or word or number puzzles. His fine motor and hand eye coordination are not great-- again, at like a very basic K or 1st grade level. But he does know he is an adult so rejects anything that would be for kids, like easier video games. I suggested some coloring books and crayons but don't think he is interested in that. He could probably use a computer with training and they have a laptop, but he doesn't want to go to "kid sites".
Any type of group activities or respite care is not an option. My parents simply refuse to let him out of their site (that is a whole 'nother issue all together!). He has no friends so no one to hang out with or to talk to. And he isn't allowed to do any chores around the house because mom feels it is just easier for her to do it than to try to teach him (again, a whole 'nother issue)
Any ideas on things that could keep him occupied? Portable and at home? Nothing that involves anything sharp, hot or messy. If you wouldn't let a 5 year old do it mostly unsupervised then it is probably too much for him. My sister are trying to think out of the box and come up with anything that he could do. Any ideas or suggestions? Money isn't really an big consideration-- if it was something he would enjoy and keep him busy we would make it happen. Heck, he doesn't even have to enjoy it -- just stay busy!!