Elder-caregivers

Yesterday was a lovely spring day so I took her out for a drive and we got some ice cream on the way back. That really helped her mood. And mine!

I'm currently looking for a job so I spend time with her on a daily basis until I find employment and start working. The rest of my family is far away and I'm all she has here. So I feel obligated since I have time. I'm more than happy to spend that time with her on a good day but the bad days are BAD. But you already know this. I'm not resentful. I just wish the bad days weren't so irritating.

I'm constantly wracking my brain to think of things we can do together. The assisted living facility (ALF) she's in is wonderful. They have scheduled activities for the residents on a daily basis, and since she is shy, I am always pushing her into doing them. Otherwise she would sit in her room and complain that she's lonely. So I try to get her to engage with the others there, but her memory care unit is pretty small and several of the others are on her nerves. So often I try to use my time with her either helping her participate in the ALF's activities or doing something with her that allows her a break from the others. Does anybody have any suggestions for activities? I'm thinking of things like brain teasers, nostalgia games, that sort of stuff. She likes those types of mental stimulation activities. Also jigsaw puzzles, but they have to be small, simple ones - she used to be a complicated jigsaw puzzle master, but she sometimes can't understand how to put the simple ones together now. I need to get her some more puzzles. We've pretty much worked through all the ones the ALF has on hand.