I lost my dad a few months ago from end stage Parkinson's Disease and the Dementia that went along with it. Now I still have my mom who never talks about my dad and when I told him he passed away, she had nothing to say. The hospice team told me not to bring him up in conversation, but if/when she does, then I can talk about him.

She is eating better thanks to an appetite stimulant, but needs to be busy every second or she will go for a ride in her wheelchair and put herself to bed. The nurses now have her "number" and won't let her leave the day room and now have her sitting in a regular chair with an alarm she sits on which helps a great deal.

She will keep herself busy with different wooden puzzles and I made sure her table was moved over so she could see the tv. The nurse told me if she is closer to the tv, she really watches it and it keeps her not wanting to move about, so I requested that her seat permanently be moved up to be closer to the tv and the nurse will oblige.

Does anyone have any other ideas to keep her fidgetiness to a minimum?

I must admit I picked out a really good nursing home. It is immaculate and everything I want discussed gets immediately addressed by her morning/early afternoon nurse. I make sure she is the one to talk to since the evening nurse doesn't think "out of the box" ever. Everything is status quo with her.