During Spring 2017, fidget spinners were immensely popular among children and teens. They quickly became the latest fad and took over classrooms across the country.
Fidget spinners are typically made up of three prongs held together within a circular piece in the middle that spins. It fits in the palm of your hand, making it easier to use – and it comes in multiple colors, styles and forms, like fidget cubes. Many were drawn to the manufacturer’s claims that it helps those with ADD, ADHD and anxiety. That got the attention of the staff at The Kenwood, along with a blog post online that detailed the positive impact fidget spinners had on someone who lives with Alzheimer’s disease. From there, the fidget spinner pilot program began for our Memory Care residents.
The program offers fidget spinners in the common areas for Memory Care residents to use whenever they’d like. Residents can decide to keep them or use them however long they want to. The program started mid-May and it has been largely successful thus far. One resident collects the spinners, but enjoys the fidget cube more and uses it to help them fall asleep, which prevents them from wandering at night.
Staff see the fidget spinners as a powerful tool for Memory Care residents and are interested in expanding the program to more residents at The Kenwood. Once the program results are collected, we will share those results with our readers.
In the meantime, take a look at the coverage of our fidget spinner pilot program on Local12 and McKnight’s Senior Living!
