As a caregiver for an aging loved one, you know how important it is to encourage your loved one to remain active and involved in a wide variety of physical and mental activities.
This activity supports better health and a higher quality of life. Finding a unique and interesting ways to keep your aging loved one active and involved, however, can be difficult. Using a bit of creativity you can find fun and engaging ways to interact with your aging loved one and encourage him to be involved on a regular basis. One of the best ways that you can do this is through participating in craft projects. Making a leaf journal is a fun and educational ongoing craft project that you and your aging loved one can complete together. It is also a great opportunity for you to involved younger generations in providing home care for an aging loved one.
A leaf journal does not have to be anything elaborate. The supplies you need include:
- Acid-free paper
- Acid-free scrapbooking page sleeves
- Acid-free pens
- Acid-free adhesive
- Heavy books
- Wax paper
- An album that accommodates the pages you have chosen
The leaf journal is a project that can be continued for a few days, a few weeks or even over the course of an entire year. Start by simply exploring the yard around your aging loved one’s home. Discuss the different plants and trees that are growing in the yard, and encourage your aging loved one to tell you about them. If your loved one planted these plants, they are likely very proud of them and will want to tell you all about them. This is a great chance for your children to learn not only some botany, but also about their grandparent. Carefully clip individual leaves from the plants, keeping track of which leaf came from which type of plant. Don’t worry if you don’t know what each one is, that comes in the next step.
Once you have collected your leaves, use the Internet to research the leaves. Find out what the plant is, the scientific name for it and any other interesting facts about it. Jot this information down in a notebook that you will use later.
Now you will press your leaves. This is a rather delicate process, so if you are using autumn leaves, you will need to make sure you have chosen ones that are not dried out or they will crumble. Place the leaf in between two pieces of wax paper and top it with a heavy book. Leave this book in place for at least 48 hours and then carefully remove the pressed leaf from the paper. Use the acid-free adhesive to attach the leaf to a piece of acid-free paper. Using acid-free materials is important because they will help protect the leaf, and will not age as quickly as non-acid-free materials.
Use an acid-free scrapbooking pens to write the information about the plant on the page with the leaf. You may also want to consider having your aging loved one journal about the plant and the experience of picking and pressing the leaves. Your child can also add his thoughts, and you can complete the pages by adding your own information, the date and even photographs of the plant growing in the yard.
Your leaf journal does not have to be limited just to the plants that exist in your loved one’s yard. Explore local parks to find other plants to expand your project. Consider following the same plants over the course of the year to see how they change, and include flowers that bloom on these plants by pressing them in the same way that you do the leaves.
Home Care Walnut Creek, CA Families Can Count On
Are you interested in helping your loved one age in place while staying active an engaged? The highly trained in-home caregivers at Hillendale Home Care provide expert home care Walnut Creek, CA seniors need and deserve. For more information about Hiring In-Home Caregivers in Walnut Creek California, contact Hillendale Home Care at 925-933-8181.
