ktgrok Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 So, my mother fell and broke her arm a month or so ago. She broke it up near the shoulder and it is going to take a long time to heal. It's her dominant arm. She is no longer in a sling but is not allowed to really use it much, and in fact got in trouble with her therapist last week because she'd been folding laundry and emptying out closets. She used the good arm in the closets, but just the jostling caused inflammatoin, and of course she should NOT have been folding laundry. He said he couldn't even do the therapy that day because it was so swollen. To complicate matters she has BAD arthritis in her hands. Many of the joints are unusable, and she has chronic pain in them. She normally ignores this and does all the cooking, laundry, shopping, decorating, etc and most of the cleaning for herself and my sister, who is a working mom going through a divorce. She also is used to babysitting and playing with her grandchildren weekly. So, this is a woman that needs something to do. For months. That is useful and real, not just watching TV all day. She doesn't read a whole lot because of some eye issues, but does use the Ipad a ton. So anything online would be okay. She is not really into documentaries, and education wise was an LPN, and worked in geriatrics her whole career. Interest wise she loves to fish (but can't right now because of the arm), likes wine, eats paleo, and loves her family. She's never really had hobbies, other than the fishing which she does with my Dad. Oh, and she adores her King Charles Spaniel. This is what I have so far: Learn a language (Duolingo) Take a course on wine via edex Citizen Scientist: I sent her hte link to Zooniverse where you can count penguins and other things Online volunteering for the UN. I sent the link, not sure what it entails. Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 ESL conversation partner for adults. Water aerobics. Lots of dog walking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Do you all have a lot of (maybe old) family photos? This could be a great time to sort them, label or otherwise organize them, and perhaps scan them. Same might go for family recipes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 2, 2015 Author Share Posted November 2, 2015 She can't exercise much, as the jostling hurts her arm. She was walking 3 miles a day and the therapist told her to cut back, it was making things worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Just sympathy! My mom is an RN on light duty right now. She is not allowed to lift more than 5lbs. I have to keep shooing her away from housework, but she doesn't shoo easily. And I don't live there :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 2, 2015 Author Share Posted November 2, 2015 Just sympathy! My mom is an RN on light duty right now. She is not allowed to lift more than 5lbs. I have to keep shooing her away from housework, but she doesn't shoo easily. And I don't live there :/ Exactly! Mom can't lift more than 1 lb, so you can imagine. Hard to keep a nurse down!! She's really upset about the whole thing. She doesn't know what to do if not taking care of people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Volunteer work in the schools like SMART program (helping with reading skills) or at the Boys and Girls club. Volunteer at the hospital to work the front desk. Tutoring 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Genealogy could be fun - maybe a subscription to ancestry.com. LDS chapels often have family history libraries where anyone can do research for free. Most are open a couple of days or evenings a week and are staffed with people who know what they are doing. https://familysearch.org/locations/ Does she like puzzles? I love to have one out during the holidays for the kids to pick at while we watch movies. Learn a new card game: http://www.grandparents.com/grandkids/activities-games-and-crafts/card-games It's a good time to send a holiday card to a soldier: http://www.redcross.org/support/get-involved/holiday-mail-for-heroes Maybe there is a museum in her town she could volunteer at? Or attend classes or talks? I'm so sorry for your mom! My son broke his collar bone last week and we are trying to figure out some of this stuff, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Apps other than Duolingo? In line with Duolingo I know of sites where people volunteer to talk to someone learning a language. So your mom could talk to people learning English. Audio books? Maybe the site, "The Single HANDed life" will have ideas. http://thesinglehandedlife.blogspot.ca/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 If she likes geriatrics, maybe she could be a companion for seniors who need someone to accompany them on doctor visits. Not sure what her driving status is, but I'm thinking not so much of the transportation as volunteering to be extra ears when they talk to the doctor. Maybe help them sort out their meds, etc. I'm sure a senior center could suggest some options. I like the idea of literacy tutor. Maybe be an online shopper for busy people who need some help shopping for folks this season (busy husbands, people with family far away, older folks who don't navigate the internet). No boxes and bags to tote but a personal shopping experience all the same. She could require gift cards for the transactions so that she doesn't have to worry about not being paid. My inlaws don't want to use credit cards online and don't like to do things on the internet--I doubt they are the only ones like this. (I'm thinking senior center again for this.) There are probably a fair amount of charity drives that could use organizational help as much as physical labor--someone to make lists and check them twice, so to speak or to supervise volunteers doing specific jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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