"Toys" for people with Alzheimer's
Donation protected
Building homemade toys and sensory boards for memory-care facility residents
Hello! I'm a 17-year old Life Boy Scout whose Eagle Scout project plan has been approved by my troop. I'm now at the stage of raising funds so I can buy the materials needed to build safe, fun, and self-entertaining toys for people suffering from Alzheimer's, specifically, for memory care facility residents. This project is near and dear to me because my grandma has Alzheimer's, and I have personally seen how important it is to make her day one where she feels useful, happy, occupied, and entertained. Alzheimers is a devastating disease that robs victims their precious memories and their abilities for self-care. Contributing to their entertainment and happiness is part of what my toys will do, but it will also keep them mentally stimulated, as well as help with manual dexterity.
My project's goal is to benefit as many memory care facility residents as possible, targeting five memory care centers near my home in Houston. The sooner I can build these toys, the sooner that people with Alzheimer’s can benefit. My goal is to build 20 sensory boards (4 for each facility), and 35 (7 for each facility) each of the milk top banks, the foam lace shapes, and the clothespin manipulatives. I will be needing lots of foam sheets, shoe strings, clothespins, plywood (12” x 12” and 12" x 6" pieces), screws, zippers, caster wheels, tap lights, hook and eye locks, and other materials that will be secured on the sensory boards (see pictures of prototypes below). The project, scheduled for mid-November '17, will be in two phases: the building of the toys, and the delivery of these items.
A really good reason my mom doesn't place her mom (my grandma), who we care at home, in a nursing home, is the lack of individual attention, in addition to the obvious fact that the love of family and detail of care is just not the same, as it is in the comfort of one's home. I strongly believe that one important way of showing care to memory-care facility residents is giving them fun toys they can tinker with. It makes sense, then, to build a variety of stage-appropriate and self-entertaining toys that Alzheimer's sufferers could manage with little to no help. These 'toys' can prevent frustration, boredom, and aggression on the part of these nursing home residents.
I've come up with a few toys that I plan to build, and here are the pictures. Please be sure to also watch the YouTube video (link below)as well.
The following link (please listen to the you tube video that made an impression on me) was also an inspiration and it helped me with ideas. http://www.best-alzheimers-products.com/activities-for-dementia.html.
Once inside the page, scroll down to the title, Age and stage-appropriate Activities for Dementia, under which you’ll see a YouTube video, mostly narrated by a lady whose husband suffers from dementia.
Any donation, no matter how small, will be used towards creating the above-illustrated toys. If the donations exceed my goal, the funds will be equally distributed among the five memory care facilities I plan to build toys for.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter and should you choose to make a donation, please know that it will give many people afflicted with Alzheimer's something to do that is fun, simple, but yet mentally stimulating. The sensory board's prototype has especially been well-received by the beneficiaries who are excited about adding these 'toys' to their daily activities.
Sincerely,
Justin
Hello! I'm a 17-year old Life Boy Scout whose Eagle Scout project plan has been approved by my troop. I'm now at the stage of raising funds so I can buy the materials needed to build safe, fun, and self-entertaining toys for people suffering from Alzheimer's, specifically, for memory care facility residents. This project is near and dear to me because my grandma has Alzheimer's, and I have personally seen how important it is to make her day one where she feels useful, happy, occupied, and entertained. Alzheimers is a devastating disease that robs victims their precious memories and their abilities for self-care. Contributing to their entertainment and happiness is part of what my toys will do, but it will also keep them mentally stimulated, as well as help with manual dexterity.
My project's goal is to benefit as many memory care facility residents as possible, targeting five memory care centers near my home in Houston. The sooner I can build these toys, the sooner that people with Alzheimer’s can benefit. My goal is to build 20 sensory boards (4 for each facility), and 35 (7 for each facility) each of the milk top banks, the foam lace shapes, and the clothespin manipulatives. I will be needing lots of foam sheets, shoe strings, clothespins, plywood (12” x 12” and 12" x 6" pieces), screws, zippers, caster wheels, tap lights, hook and eye locks, and other materials that will be secured on the sensory boards (see pictures of prototypes below). The project, scheduled for mid-November '17, will be in two phases: the building of the toys, and the delivery of these items.
A really good reason my mom doesn't place her mom (my grandma), who we care at home, in a nursing home, is the lack of individual attention, in addition to the obvious fact that the love of family and detail of care is just not the same, as it is in the comfort of one's home. I strongly believe that one important way of showing care to memory-care facility residents is giving them fun toys they can tinker with. It makes sense, then, to build a variety of stage-appropriate and self-entertaining toys that Alzheimer's sufferers could manage with little to no help. These 'toys' can prevent frustration, boredom, and aggression on the part of these nursing home residents.
I've come up with a few toys that I plan to build, and here are the pictures. Please be sure to also watch the YouTube video (link below)as well.
The following link (please listen to the you tube video that made an impression on me) was also an inspiration and it helped me with ideas. http://www.best-alzheimers-products.com/activities-for-dementia.html.
Once inside the page, scroll down to the title, Age and stage-appropriate Activities for Dementia, under which you’ll see a YouTube video, mostly narrated by a lady whose husband suffers from dementia.
Any donation, no matter how small, will be used towards creating the above-illustrated toys. If the donations exceed my goal, the funds will be equally distributed among the five memory care facilities I plan to build toys for.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter and should you choose to make a donation, please know that it will give many people afflicted with Alzheimer's something to do that is fun, simple, but yet mentally stimulating. The sensory board's prototype has especially been well-received by the beneficiaries who are excited about adding these 'toys' to their daily activities.
Sincerely,
Justin
Organizer and beneficiary
Justin Williams
Organizer
Alief, TX
Rita María Williams
Beneficiary
