Activities for Mom with Dementia and Macular Degeneration

@amrap
Hello: My mother-in-law has the same issue, can't see well, can't hear well, and frustrated because there is not much to do.
I looked into her State's resources for the blind. They could come to her home and do an assessment of her situation and her needs, then offer resources. One example was a book reader (since she had to stop reading). You just check out the books on tape and the reader speaks it outloud. That was just one example of what they offered (she didn't want to do audio books on her phone).
However, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. She would never call the State resource to set anything up and I live about 3 1/2 hours from her so couldn't do it for her.
Anyway, I hope you have the equivalent where you live so your Mom could tap into an activity that maybe she can listen to.
All the best to you and your Mom. 🌼

She might enjoy audiobooks.
https://visionbuddy.com/tv-watching-devices-for-the-visually-impaired/
https://mytoolsforliving.com/products/orcam-my-eye-3-pro? is a really nice device pricy though.
With a voice transcription device, you might get her to write a biography. It's free with google.
I used to go with my mom to get foot massages. I don't know why I suggest it, except that we laughed so much.
The music she listened to in her youth is a great source of memory and joy.
How wonderful that you are going to stay with her.
Your husband sounds like a gem.

Thank you @judimahoney and @gently 💕. Those are wonderful suggestions. Just asked Mom if she would like me to read to her and she said “Can we start tonight?”. 😊. I will also look into booking foot massages. And yes, my husband is a GEM. My husband and this caregivers support group are true blessings!!

My mom was blind the last few years of her life and she loved to have us read crossword puzzle clues to her and do the puzzles together though she couldn’t see them. She enjoyed doing the ones in the newspapers and then she asked me to buy books of crossword puzzles so we could do multiple puzzles in a day.

@amrap, reading to her is such a better idea. I'll be curious about which books will interest her.

I dont' know whether she can see enough to enjoy family photos, I just remember my neighbor loving going through photo after photo on the best turkeys she used to make! her children, grandchildren, etc. Of course, that was the days of the photo albums, which I miss. Now everything is on the phone. But I found foraging through memories in the form of those photos, was relaxing for her. And on many, she remembered. Also, I still go back to that Dan Cohen UTUBE documentary "Alive Inside" where the memory loss patients were given earpods with music, they all lit up, when hearing the tunes of the past. Soothing music, that seemed to make them come alive. Thanks to the person on this site, that tapped me into that documentary. It was truly wonderful to see.
Best, Karla

amrap, You mention that your mother liked to do jigsaw puzzles, there are many large piece/small scene puzzles available. With a little guidance, my wife always liked to put those together. You also might want to try coloring books - there are books for all interests, maybe your mother would enjoy coloring scenes of places she has visited, or of things she liked to do, gardening for instance. I believe the books come in large print, so that they are very easy for one with vision problems to use them. All the best to you and your mother.

@fred1 If your ‘confused’ one likes puzzles, there is a company that makes puzzle portraits. Just find 1 or 2 good family photos that you can email to the maker, and you can pick the number of puzzle pieces. I did this several years ago and the puzzles were fantastic and the whole process was so easy. Let me check again for the website

@becsbuddy I found the website i used awhile ago, but there are several companies that make jigsaw puzzles . You’ll see a list on Google!
https://www.portraitpuzzles.com/?
Happy puzzle making!

@becsbuddy, Thanks for the info - however, I don't need the puzzles. My comment was in reply "amrap", who had mentioned that her mother was in need of something to occupy herself. I'm no longer a caregiver......unfortunately.