zoe1zoe1zoe1 Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Hi All, Just wondering whether anyone can give any suggestions as to a new hobby Richard can take up. Remember that he has no use in his left arm, very limited use in his left leg so cannot walk far and has concentration issues. Before this happened he had no hobbies - worked as a builder 6 days and then spent Sundays in the pub drinking with his mates. Any ideas would be gratefully received. Don't suggest computers or reading as we have already tried them without success. Thanks all, Zoe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Hi Zoe Don't know if this is a good idea but have you thought about a Nintendo Wii? Richard could play this from his wheel chair and only using his right arm (some games require two hands but not all). It might help his hand eye co-ordination improve, but not sure how the screen changes will affect his eyes/head. The good thing about the Wii is that it doesn't take a lot of concentration (most games anyway) and it's fun where the kids and you could join in too. Can't really think of anything else sorry. Sami xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Mario Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Does Richard show any interest in gardening? It can bring great satisfaction. Before you think it would be out of the question I will tell you about an old school friend of mine. After several strokes he has no use of his legs, a full time wheelchair user, and only the use of one arm. He manages to do his gardening and it is a showpiece of colour, so much so that holiday visitors (he lives at the coast) visit just to view his garden year after year. It gives him a great sense of achievement. I must admit dedication and determination is needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldfish.girl Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Hi Zoe, I think Pennys idea is great (as a novice veg patch grower myself). It gives me a great sense of achievement when some of my veg works. Perhaps you could try to make some raised beds & grow easy to grow things so there is not too much physical work involved? Or tomatoes, courgettes, lettuce, herbs etc in pots (which you can buy in DIY shops fairly cheaply) and Richard could start off just watering them or asking the kids to water them - it might spark off an interest in growing other veg? The kids could also be involved with Richard as the site manager? My son has eaten veg he wouldn't normally touch after growing it himself! Maybe it would also give Richard an incentive to cook things with his produce (soup or perhaps preparing a salad to start with?) Michelle x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoe1zoe1zoe1 Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 Thanks for your ideas. We have tried the Wii - wasn;t interested. As for gardening, we have a huge garden which along with his work mate Rich has always grown vegetables. Stuart now has an allottment so has said he is not going to do ours this year. I have tried to get Rich interested but this also isn't happening. We have a greenhouse but the OT came and had a look and unfortunately Richard cannot get inside (there is a high step) and they also said as he is unsteady it could be dangerous with the glass. I have tried very hard to get him involved - I would have loved to grow stuff this year but it is too big a job for me on my own so unfortunately the grass seed has gone down. Just don;t know what he can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayKay Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Oh Zoe, I'm so sorry - this is a tough one I've no idea! I'm into photography, but obviously you need to get out and about and have the use of both hands really.... Has Richard been swimming? Our local pool has a time when people with disabilities can swim - I think they feel less self-conscious when other people with stroke etc are swimming at the same time. Hope you find something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Mario Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Zoe, why not ask the OT for ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnamarie Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 what about painting ?? it wouldnt be my thing but many people do enjoy it i really hope you can find something donna xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill C Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Zoe can he use a ds for brain training or games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eurocracy Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Hi All, Just wondering whether anyone can give any suggestions as to a new hobby Richard can take up. Remember that he has no use in his left arm, very limited use in his left leg so cannot walk far and has concentration issues. Before this happened he had no hobbies - worked as a builder 6 days and then spent Sundays in the pub drinking with his mates. Any ideas would be gratefully received. Don't suggest computers or reading as we have already tried them without success. Thanks all, Zoe. Why not have a look at Lumosity.com? It's a brain training website, developed by Neuroscientists and might help with his concentration. It remembers scores so he can see if he's improving or how he ranks globally. It can be a bit addictive; time passes quickly when you're determined to just get a better score next time. Other ideas - what about Scrabble or Monopoly- easy to learn, hard to Master. You can all play then? What about wheelchair bowling? As in 10 pin, not crown green - most centres have the ramps to roll bowls down. There might even be a league or teamnearby he could join. There is wheelchair ice-skating too. i saw this on different strokes: http://diffstrokes.webfactional.com/ds_plone/different-strokes/recovery/802013776 I hope this helps in some way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnamarie Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 What about bowls i no our club does this one day a week !! or building small crafts ie aeroplanes there are different difficuties with these and they may help strenghtin his arm not been very helpful but will keep on thingkin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayKay Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 what about painting ?? it wouldnt be my thing but many people do enjoy it i really hope you can find something donna xxx Doh! Painting! I loved it when we did it at the hospital, and recently at the stroke association we painted jamjars with special glass paint and I really really enjoyed myself!! Maybe he could try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anya Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Hi Zoe! I have a friend who suffered a severe left sided stroke in April 2008. She's quite dependant on her partner and son for help but leads a busy social life, mainly on the phone or on the ipad! She has a motorised wheelchair which she was able to buy secondhand from SimplyHealth with her disability grant and gets out and about all over the village, on and off trains. Though this sounds ambitious, it just proves there is a lot of hope for the future! I think others have put forward some interesting suggestions, e.g. painting and model work & I think this might be the way to go! If anything else comes to mind, will let you know. Best of Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandi K Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Hi Zoe! Richard was a builder. What about wood work? There would be some challenges but I did a quick search on Google and there are ideas on there for people with disabilities. Amazon has a book for $7.50 'How to Conquer Hobbies with one Hand'. He sounds like a masculine guy, 6 days as a builder and 1 day in the pub with his mates. He also sounds very angry and resentful and it must be very difficult to have such a life changing event. Perhaps he needs to hammer some nails to get rid of some of his pent up anger? He could build trellis', bird houses, arbors, and sell them so he feels good about himself. It would take some work and creativity to work with the disability. Sandi K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lin-lin Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I work alongside people with disabilities at the Shaw Trust and some of them are very sporty. I was talking to a colleague today who was rushing off after work to a darts tournament. I understand that he like playing golf too. My work colleague has physical disabilities incidentally. Does Richard enjoy watching sport? Would going to a local football / rugby game be a nice thing for him to do? My Headway branch organise trips to sporting events and they are very popular. Your local council / social services department should have details about facilities and sport clubs in your area. Many local councils work in partnership with local sports organisations so they will be able to signpost you to the relevant people. Playing sports, especially in a team, can give people a sense of belonging to a group, which can be a very positive thing for our well being. L xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessie Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 When I was in the rehab center I took up painting on silk. There was also a lot of men doing it (after conquering their initial reserves). the kind we did was Gutta (or Serti) painting: there's a patern already on the silk, and because of the gutta outlines you can't colour outside the lines. (all you do is touch the silk with the tip of your pencil and the silk absorbs the paint into the compartiment) Hence it is easy, you can hardly do it wrong, and great to discover that you can make something beautiful. I have seen a few man beaming of the gorgeous scarves they had made their wives I bought a starter set myself, but after making a wrong frame i never got round to actually make it work. I'll show you some websites that feature it, just so you can get an idea: http://bit.ly/lnQxfb (silk paint starter kit) http://www.silkpaintingpatterns.com/ http://www.ideen.com/en/ideengutta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayKay Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Hi Zoe!Richard was a builder. What about wood work? There would be some challenges but I did a quick search on Google and there are ideas on there for people with disabilities. Amazon has a book for $7.50 'How to Conquer Hobbies with one Hand'. He sounds like a masculine guy, 6 days as a builder and 1 day in the pub with his mates. He also sounds very angry and resentful and it must be very difficult to have such a life changing event. Perhaps he needs to hammer some nails to get rid of some of his pent up anger? He could build trellis', bird houses, arbors, and sell them so he feels good about himself. It would take some work and creativity to work with the disability. Sandi K. Ooh yes! One of the ladies at the Stroke Assoc group had an SAH 18 years ago, is still paralysed down her right side and has aphasia - well, she makes bird houses apparently! I haven't seen them yet, but she gets out and about and has just bought an electric wheelchair which she is in a hurry to get hold of. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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