Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] DIY Hand Rehabilitation Tools to Strengthen Fingertips: A Collection of Handmade Ideas

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My name is Moko, a mother of three who admired my mother and worked in the care industry as a care worker and as a medical social worker (MSW) in a hospital. I will be drawing on my previous experience to write mainly about caregiving. Thank you in advance.
Worked as a certified care worker for 17 years.Nanaka
I’ve been working as a certified care worker for 17 years. I’m Nanaka, a caregiving web writer. I decided to pursue this profession because I wanted a job that would help people. Having worked in day care for many years, I’ve experienced a wide variety of recreational activities. Exercise set to music, in particular, always created a cheerful atmosphere and was very well received. I’d be delighted to continue delivering writing that resonates with readers through caregiving-related articles. Thank you for your support.

Daily rehabilitation exercises performed by seniors contribute to both mental and physical health.

Finger rehabilitation in particular is recommended, as it provides beneficial stimulation to the brain.

In this article, we introduce handmade items that are great for finger rehabilitation for older adults.

With the goal of improving finger function, we’ve gathered easy-to-incorporate, DIY ideas for everyday life.

You can easily get the materials at 100-yen shops, so why not give them a try? If you’re thinking about making your own rehab items, be sure to use this as a reference.

[For Seniors] Rehabilitation Items to Train Finger Dexterity: Handmade Idea Collection (1–10)

Chopstick training goods

[100-yen Brain Training] ADL training for eating: “Using chopsticks” movements

Chopstick training goods

Chopsticks are perfect for hand and finger rehabilitation because they involve a sequence of actions like grasping and releasing objects.

Prepare a container with dividers, such as an ice cube tray.

You can also make dividers in an empty tissue box using thick paper or cardboard.

Next, get felt balls or small crumpled pieces of paper that fit into each compartment.

That’s all the prep! The person training should use chopsticks to pick up the felt balls or crumpled paper and place them into the container.

By setting a detailed rule—like putting one item in each compartment—you can ensure their hands move thoroughly and effectively.

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rehabilitation chopsticks

Series ② Use tools that fit your body: 'Let's use chopsticks!'

rehabilitation chopsticks

Let me introduce rehab chopsticks that are perfect for practicing the act of using chopsticks itself! Prepare one pair of disposable chopsticks, two rubber bands, and a clothespin.

Split the disposable chopsticks and attach the clothespin to the end you hold.

Position the opening side of the clothespin at the end of the chopsticks, clamp it with the chopsticks, and secure each side with a rubber band.

And that’s it—your rehab chopsticks are complete! When you grip the chopsticks with your fingers, the clothespin mechanism moves, making the chopsticks open and close so you can pick up food.

If you find chopsticks hard to use because you can’t move your fingers well, try rehabilitating with these chopsticks!

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Shape matching

[Training goods you can make from unwanted items and 100-yen shop materials] Shape matching with a clear file

Shape matching

Let me introduce “Shape Matching,” an activity that trains the brain while moving your fingers.

You draw simple shapes on transparent sheets and layer them to recreate a reference figure.

You can adjust the difficulty to suit the person playing—for example, by making the same shapes in different sizes, or by combining not just two shapes but three or four.

Completing the specified figure gives a sense of accomplishment, and it also sounds fun to set a time limit or compete with others to see who can finish the fastest.

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For Seniors: Rehab tools to train fingertip dexterity. Handmade Idea Collection (11–20)

Bottle color coding

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Here’s an idea for a handmade rehabilitation activity for seniors using small bottles and sponge stickers, called “Bottle Color Sorting.” Use three colors of sponge stickers—red, blue, and yellow—to mark the bottles and caps.

From a large set of mixed pieces, screw the caps onto the bottles so that matching colors are paired together.

The action of grasping and twisting the caps with the fingertips exercises hand strength and dexterity, providing rehabilitative benefits.

Sorting and correctly matching the colors also helps train attention and concentration.

All materials can be found at 100-yen shops, and preparation is simple.

It’s a practical rehab item that’s easy to enjoy while being effective.

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Pinning

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Let me introduce a fingertip training tool that uses small pins.

You insert plastic pins into holes in a styrofoam base.

It can help train pinching movements using your fingertips.

Also, by using your fingers a lot, it may help stimulate brain activity.

The process of making this tool isn’t complicated, so it’s easy to create.

If you use items from 100-yen shops or hardware stores, preparation should be simple, too.

Here’s an extra idea: prepare a die.

Color the numbered faces of the die and the tips of the pins.

You can then enjoy it as a game by rolling the die and inserting a pin that matches the color that comes up.

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PET bottle cap grab game

Indoor Recreation for Seniors: A 'Bottle Cap Grab Game' Using Clothespins and Paper Cups

PET bottle cap grab game

Here’s a game that uses PET bottle caps to train finger dexterity.

Pick up PET bottle caps and drop them into paper cups.

However, you’ll use clothespins to pick up the caps.

Handling clothespins requires a certain amount of strength.

Simply using clothespins can also improve fine motor skills by encouraging nimble finger movements.

Let’s not only aim for brain-training benefits through finger use, but also strengthen the fingers and hands.

By making it a game, older adults can enjoy themselves while getting in some training.

Give it a try!

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Finger training using magnets

[Recommended for Day Service] Finger dexterity training using magnets — all with 100-yen store items

Finger training using magnets

A pegboard is designed to improve fine motor skills by having you pinch several cylindrical blocks—such as red, green, and yellow ones—and move them into a box.

It’s often used for training the upper limbs and fingers after a stroke.

While the price can be fairly high, it turns out you can substitute it using only items from a 100-yen shop.

Prepare a whiteboard, four colors of magnets, a permanent marker, and a ruler.

On the whiteboard, use the permanent marker to plan and adjust a magnet layout in a 2-centimeter grid both vertically and horizontally; this process helps activate the brain.

Pinching the magnets is also said to be effective as finger exercise.

It’s nice that you can do the training while seated, too.

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