Let’s Get Creative

We were desperate. Dad had been busy all his life as a farmer and factory worker. Even in retirement, he tended two huge gardens and a fruit orchard. This was not a guy meant to spend all day sitting in a wheelchair.

And yet, that’s what he was doing. Sitting. Watching television. Waiting for my sister or brother or me to come and
break the boredom. Waiting for one of the nurses’ aides to show up. Going stir-crazy.

Then I found a possibility. In a corner of a store, I spied art kits with no paint to spill. They had felt markers and pre-printed pictures. They didn’t pretend to be fine art. Still, the pictures were very familiar to Dad: deer or squirrels or farm scenes or a forest. It was worth a try.

To our surprise and delight, he loved them. Those projects filled several hours in his long days and he’d wake up talking about how he planned to shade in a tree or put highlights on an animal. A neighbor made frames. Now Dad even had gifts he could give.

The person you’re caring for may not enjoy art, so try something else. Try asking for a story to record or a recipe to share with the next generation or a song remembered from childhood. Our Creator built into our hearts the need to create. Look for what will work for your loved one.