Hi everyone,
I’m asking for my mum, who has SPMS, about any hobbies she could do or anything to keep her occupied during the evenings?
I think she struggles to think of things to do and so often just resorts to watching telly, but would like to switch it up once in a while. She has quite numb hands so would struggle to do anything crafty, struggles to read and has limited mobility.
I worry about her quite a lot, especially since I’ve grown up now and will be moving away from home (about an hour away) and so won’t be at home a lot anymore. Anything I could suggest to support her when I’m not there?
Thank you
Hi, sorry to hear your mam is struggling with her MS. I too have SPMS, reading is a hobby of mine, but have she tried listening to stories, like on Audible? I have a friend who recommended this to me, but I am not there yet. Not being an expert, but you would need to get a device of some sort to listen to them on. It’s worth it if your mam likes stories etc. It’s going to be strange for you both being apart, but we all find ourselves in different situations in life don’t we. Hope you find something your mam will find fulfilling. See about Audible though see how it operates. Good luck in the future with everything.
I love to listen to audiobooks and spend a lot of time listening to them or to podcasts when I’m in the house. Listening is less mentally-taxing work than reading, I find. Whether I’m feeling up for something educational or just a nice, soothing story, there is always something to fit the bill.
It is very nice of you to be worrying about your mum in this way. Please do remember, though, that she is a grown-up with agency of her own and the best ideas for how she chooses to spend her time will likely come from her.
I think your job is to give yourself permission to detach from other people’s problem a bit. Of course you’ll always be there when your mum really needs you, and she knows that. I’m not saying walk away and don’t look back - of course I’m not. But I do think you might have to make some conscious effort to let yourself go out into the world and live your life without feeling guilty about doing so. That’s a tough thing to do for a nice person like you, but it’s necessary.
Audible’s what I use and have been doing for years. It’s brilliant.
Hi Ocean, this would involve spending a bit of money but, when my Dad was in his 90s and wanted to live at home ( rather than care home) my sisters and I ( who all lived some distance away) bought him an iPad and at least two of us would call him on FaceTime each day. Doesn’t have to be an iPad- any tablet and any video linking would do. I don’t think my Dad ever realised that the iPad did more than provide a video calling service and all he had to remember was how to accept a call. I ( who lived some 4-5 hours from him) would sometimes just call to remind him of a TV program and sometimes watch it with him. I think one of my sisters would do the crossword with him.
The video linking had the added bonus of allowing us to see how his health was - in his 90s his age was taking its toll.