4 Ideas for Clay Projects for Your Elderly Loved One

Elder Care in Riverhead NY

If your loved one has issues with dexterity in her hands, try using clay. The self-hardening clay that you can get in any craft store is easy to use and you can make a variety of different projects with it. Your loved one won’t even notice that she’s giving her hands a workout as she unleashes her creativity.

Handmade Pen Grips

This is both a fun and useful project, especially since your loved one can make the grip perfectly fitted for her own fingers and hand. Start out with a pen that your loved one enjoys using but that is too thin to be comfortable. Have your loved one take a lump of clay and work it around the pen, building the grip up to a width that feels good in her hand. Then she can shape and mold the grip until it feels just right. Let the clay dry and then the pen should be easier for her to use.

Clay Beads

Clay beads are a fun project because you get to make them and then you can turn the beads into another project altogether. To make the beads, gather different colors of clay and form and shape them into balls or into oblong shapes. You can mix colors to make multi-colored beads or you can paint them after they dry. While the bead shapes are still wet, use a toothpick to poke a hole from one side of the bead to the other and then set them aside to dry. Once the beads harden, use them in all sorts of other projects.

Photo Frame Embellishments

Take a plain photo frame from the dollar store and help your loved one to add clay to the edges of it. She might want to wrap a solid piece of clay around the frame or she might want to roll the clay flat and cut shapes out of it to attach to the frame. The sky is the limit with this project. Once the clay is in place, either allow it to dry where it is or let the individual pieces dry. Then you can glue them onto the frame once they’re solid. You can then paint the clay or add different pieces in contrasting colors.

Bowls or Plates

Bowls and plates are extremely easy to make and they don’t require a lot of manual dexterity to shape. Have your loved one work the clay until it’s in a shape that she likes and then let the clay dry. You can either help her to draw designs in the clay with a toothpick or pain the hardened clay later to dress it up even more.

Using clay a few times a week is a great form of art therapy for your loved one.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional elder care services in Riverhead, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.