Any suggestions for other games to help occupy him?

My father used to do large jigsaw puzzles of 500 or even 1000 pieces. As his dementia progresses he became able to do only 12 pieces. He was doing puzzles designed for kids with cartoon images inappropriate for his age. I looked for better designed but was unable to find any puzzles under 50-100 pieces with proper images. I then decided to create 12 pieces puzzles for him with nice photos. You can see them on my web site http://alzafun.com if you are interested.

I loved asking about the past of my mother she had dementia but God Bless her when it came to talking about her earlier years,when she was younger, boy was it amazing and the smiles and some tears she would show yes she tell you the same story but if she'd remember something happy I'd listen to it a million times she was such s warm, loving person, friend and what I thank God for the best mom a girl could ever want and had.

Easy Comforts website has large print puzzles and handheld electronic games. I like the puzzle books because they are spiral bound so that they can be folded back easily.

Harriet Carter has color books aimed toward the more mature person.

Magnetic Poetry website has magnet words, designs, foreign languages, etc. Can be used with a cookie sheet while sitting.

Lincoln logs are good for building and stacking. Pinwheels, harmonicas and bubbles are good for deep breathing. A small keyboard for finger exercises.

Velcro mitt and Velcro ball for games of catch.

A 100 piece jigsaw puzzle is probably too much; over a decade ago I needed to find some games that could be done while under the influence of psychotropics, and I discovered large piece jigsaw puzzles at a children's store. It think it was Zany Brainy. But their website is linked to aggressive advertising pop-ups which appear despite having disabled them through my software, so be prepared if you do google them.

The large puzzle pieces were perhaps 2" x 3" so they were easier to fit together than the itty bitty less than 1" sized pieces, and they're easier on older eyes. I bought puzzles with soothing patterns - farmyards, farm animals, cats, puppies, fish and ocean scenes. ...kind of a two for the price of one therapy.

I'm wondering about Chinese checkers, or dominoes. They're simpler and more one dimensional than say something like Scrabble.

Could he respond to prompts for crossword puzzles from magazines like Reminisce or Reminisce Extra? Some of their puzzles focus on the Depression and WWII eras, and seem to stimulate memories because the word associations connect with old those long ago memories. (It isn't often that the words :breadline" and "ration coupons" are heard today.)

This is more of an activity and memory jogger than a game, but it might work if your DH still has good eyesight.

I save photos and stamps of military aircraft; my father gets solicitations that sometimes also include military aircraft, especially from organizations like WASPs. He also gets several military calendars.

I cut out photos of his favorite planes (he has hand limitations because of an old woodworking injury), make a collage and with a glue stick attach them onto decorative boxes to keep first class mail, small medical things like his PulseOx, eye drops, etc. There are also aviation and WWII history magazines with a lot of photos.

If your husband was in the military, and unless he doesn't want to be reminded of his service, an activity like this could be soothing and occupy his attention for awhile.

The same thing could be done though with any other interests he might have - fishing, hiking, walking, golfing, sports, etc.

The photos don't have to be glued onto boxes; I also make collages for me of flowers and insert the pages inside the plastic covers of notebooks which I use extensively for taxes, medical and business purposes. Just the process of cutting photos from garden catalogues and arranging them on paper is so relaxing - it's really simple but the artistic stimulation is extraordinary.

Animals, domestic or wild, are also subjects for collages.

Accompany this kind of activity with soothing music, or something your husband especially likes, and the activity becomes very restful; for me it's also restorative and stimulating. The only downside is that it makes me want to buy more plants!

Can he work at a computer with you? There are some really cute electronic puzzles, and games that are like the old card game "Concentration" that show you a piece when you click, then you have to remember what/where it was for later. Some of them are easy enough for grade school age, especially those like on the Jaquie Lawson Card site. Might be fun for you to sit and do together after breakfast. :-)

If you can afford an iPad, even an older version one, my mom spends hours on hers playing video poker. I don't know how disabled your dad is, though. There are also solitaire games and JewelQuest matching games if he can manage that. Mom has a ball with hers and it keeps her busy for hours.

Thank you, dear friends, for these suggestions from your experience. My grandson and I went to ToysRus the other day. We found Skip.bo, and Tri
-Ominos and chinese checkers. So far these have given us several hours of "occupational therapy." Utube has great videos showing how to play. We're so appreciative for the effort any of you make to make our way easier.

Wonderful suggestions ~ i was wondering if your DH might be interested in painting model cars, or model airplanes? Many come pre-assembled, and there aren't really any rules on what color to paint which car [i'd not be particular anyway - i'd just be ecstatic that the person _tried_ to do something.] Coloring books are very popular in the mainstream right now, but that might backfire: i know it would if i suggested it to Mom. But anything that can keep the though-to-word process in tact is wonderful therapy. i am learning that as forgetfulness starts to settle in, it's good to learn different ways of association to help the person find the word [or object] they are looking to describe. It's really hard work, when you see it in action. Mom and i loved Tri-ominoes! Or for cards, perhaps playing 'match'? Even if the cards need to be face up --- Best to you!

My husband spends hours playing freecell, mahjong, and solitary on the computer. I also take my tablet to the doctor's office so he can play while we're waiting. He used to go to the Lumosity site and play those games...surprisingly, he was very good with the arithmetic game; he had more problems with some of the other games.