What can I send my MIL during lockdown?

Call daily and "interview" them. Record if possible (for posterity).
What were your favorite games growing up?
Did you have a nickname any time in your life? Where did it come from?
Where did you live as a child? What was your house like? Lights? Plumbing?
What jobs did you have as a teenager?

My mother in law looks forward to our daily Facetime interview!

My grandkids send my Mom - who is in MC, and also does not socialize too much - recordable books. They are really meant for grandparents to send to grandkids, but in this case they work really well. They read & record them for her, and she listens and turns the pages. I also send large print books (Short stories & poems mostly) that I have read on tape & she reads along with my voice. (Usually a CNA has to help get her started, but once she does it lasts quite awhile.) we also previously installed an Alexa echo - which she has forgotten how to use, but the lovely CNAs are usually available to say “Alexa, Play Ann Murray” - one of her favorites. Music is really good too.

To be to be perfectly frank I don't think that any fancy gadgets are all that important to people with dementia. They come from a generation where handwritten letters and postcards were very important to them. I recommend sending letters, cards and postcards with fun messages and excerpts about your day. If you have a printer you can print out pictures even in black and white. Mail them one of the local newspapers. Find some family photos and mail them. Right on the back explaining who each person is and what you guys were doing. Just the basics will make them happy

If she has good hearing, an Ipod with sermons or books on it, maybe some music that she always liked. My mom wore hearing aids but while her mind was still better, she enjoyed listening to sermons and music on hers.

My Mom is stage 6c mixed dementia (Vascular & Alzheimer's). She has had a doll for about 2 months and absolutely loves it! She plays with it, kisses, it, tries to feed it, laughs when she talks to it, etc. I am so thankful that Mom has her "baby" during this difficult time. Her baby fills her day with giggles and love. Her tv is on but the volume is turned down. I placed a radio in her room and tuned it to classic country. Her radio stays on all the time, as it breaks the silence. I haven't seen my mom since last Saturday afternoon, and I had no idea that her facility was going on lockdown on Sunday. I miss being with her, and I am trusting that her facility will take care of her until I can make sure that she is.

Good luck and be well.

I got my mom an Echo Dot. In big letters right where we placed it I wrote "Alexa, play classical music". My mom, who loved classical music, could say that simple phrase as written down (she could never remember it or vary the phrase to "Alexa play the news" or whatever). She was really appreciative. You could write down any number of phrases that would make Alexa play something to make your MIL happy. Just a thought.

How about the mag, "Reminisce?" That magazine is quite popular with the elder population.

We sent my FIL who is 87 a child’s MP3 player with an audio book downloaded on it. It only has 3 buttons. On/Off , forward and reverse. He puts the head phones on and listens to it. He can’t see to read due to poor vision.

If she likes watching television, how about an iPad set up with streaming services to watch movies, speciality programming (food or hgtv), news,etc. The iPad could also be used as an e-reader. How about purchasing some craft kits, puzzles, adult coloring books from Michael's, Hobby Lobby, or another craft store?

BeckyT, Birds and Blooms is a very lovely magazine.   I don't know if it's still part of the Rodale group, but it used to be, along with Organic Gardening and others which I've forgotten.

Country and Country Extra were also part of that group and also have beautiful photos.

Does she have a radio to listen to music? If not, maybe send one so that she could. The NH my Mom is in (Alabama) has locked down the home and we cannot send anything. They are also not letting venders in the building as a precautionary measure. I'm all for it. Better safe than sorry.

Somebody wiser here will know the name of these things...but I know there are various items and when you touch yours (it's a set of two) the wireless link makes somebody else's light up so they know you're thinking of them...

There are also gadgets that regularly change images or photos.

Puzzles come in different amounts of pieces...

Does she read? I wish i had some better ideas...

I have been assembling a care package for my mom, but here we aren't supposed to go out for the next week for any reason other than medical emergencies/appointments or to get food or other necessities, so a trip to the post office is probably going to have to wait a while...

I gave my mother her own iPad.
She loves it! She listens to podcasts and she can even FaceTime and text. She is 83. I gave it to her for Christmas so we had been practicing with it for awhile before the virus. It ended up being a lifesaver.

She sounds a bit isolated. Make sure her friends and family are calling her often.

Does she read or enjoy magazines? Some folks find they enjoy adult color books with mosaics or mandalas and such. Most of us haven’t colored in decades, but she might love using colored pencils? Get a couple books so other residents might join her. I put bird feeders outside my dads window and he LOVES watching them. Can she play games on an iPad or kindle? Is she able to follow a book on tape? Just a couple ideas-

Word Find puzzles! Cards for solitaire or playing with others. Facetime!

Home.

Workers are the worst carriers of disease and all nursing homes should be shut down.

Our AL is requiring all packages to be placed in garbage bags that will be sprayed with disinfectants and delivered 8 hours after spraying.

Unfortunately there is very little that our LO is willing to do, but the staff is very sensitive to her interactions with them, so hopefully they’ll attempt to keep her engaged until we can get back in.

Does she work puzzles...Either jigsaw or crossword puzzles. My parents also love sudoku puzzles!

Can she watch videos? Better still, make her a digital picture frame loaded with old and new family photos. Have someone there plug it in for her and turn it on. She will be pleased to see herself and family members, special occasions, and other rememberances of her own life.

Pics of the family, a fidget blanket.

I sent my MIL a couple of dexterity building toys. A magnetic maze and magnetic fashion doll set. Some might consider it juvenile but I enjoy the activities when I play with my grandchildren. So I thought she might too. You could also send a box of buttons or cards and ask her to sort them for you. She could feel like you need her help. 😊

How about good old fashioned cards, with a sentimental message such as how much you miss her during this challenging period?   Does she read?  If so, magazines are fortunately still being printed, as are books.    

Magazines with soothing photos, of baby animals, gardens, scenic places also tend to divert the mind and induce relaxation.