Teaching Now Living - Part 14 - Repetition

Recently Elle has started following my sister and I around when we are at her house. This can be good because it means she is out of her chair and getting exercise. However she has a habit of keeping very close behind us with her walker as we move around the house, which isn’t very safe. One day I was organizing her closet and she would not stop hovering over me. I was changing her clothes from summer to winter in her closet and gave her shirts and sweaters to fold that kept her busy and gave her a feeling of contribution. She also loved sorting scarves by color.

Tip: Repetitive activity can stop the behavior, or at least put it at bay. Helping your loved one or patient to channel their time and energy in to repetitive tasks can buy the caregiver time and patience.