How Can Beading Help Your Elderly Loved One?

Elderly Care in Amagansett NY

In the realm of art therapy one of the easiest types of art projects you can start with your elderly loved one involves beading. You can do something elaborate, like make jewelry that’s many layers, or you can start as simply as using a length of yarn and a few pony beads. Regardless, beading does more for your loved one than you might think at first.

Practicing Fine Motor Skills

Even if your loved one is using larger pony beads, she’s having to pick up each bead, hold it at the right angle, and put the string through the hole. If your loved one is able to use smaller beads, such as seed beads, she’s most likely using a needle, which is still helping her to use her fine motor skills. For a loved one with arthritis or other difficulties with motor skills, beading is a repetitive task that helps to work the muscles and keep her focused on what she’s doing.

Practicing Cognitive Skills

A loved one in the beginning stages of dementia might have issues with her cognitive skills. Working with beads gives her a way to practice her decision-making and her overall cognitive skills. Your loved one can decide what type of beading project she wants to make and what type of pattern she wants to use. Then she can track how well she’s able to follow the pattern as the project progresses.

Working with Visual Perception

Your loved one’s brain gets a workout with beading in several ways. Not only is she dealing with cognitive skills, but she’s also using visual perception. That means that she’s thinking about and remembering what type of bead or color of bead she wants to use next and then she’s picking that bead out of a pile or a container. She has to process which one she wants and then grab it.

Practicing Social Skills

Beading is also a good way for your loved one to practice her social skills. This could be as simple as beading at home with you or other family members or she might take her beading projects with her to the senior center. Either way, she’ll be working on her social skills with others while also making something beautiful.

If your loved one isn’t sure about beading as a hobby, try starting out with a small project and then working your way up.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Elderly Care in Amagansett, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.