Lovely senior life

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

Social worker / Care workermoko
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 tools to train fingertips: Handmade idea collection (41–50)

Simple Temari

Make it by wrapping yarn! Adorably round “Easy Temari” / [OT’s Let’s Make It! Vol. 9] (Recreation/Crafts)

Simple Temari

Let’s try making a temari with a soft, colorful look using yarn.

It’s a simple process: roll up old newspaper or other scrap paper into a ball, secure it with cellophane tape, and then wrap yarn around it.

To finish it beautifully, it’s important to shape the paper core into a firm sphere and wrap the yarn thoroughly so the base doesn’t show.

You’re free to combine yarns as you like, so experiment with color choices and wrapping techniques to create your own unique temari.

It’s also important to wrap the yarn tightly so it doesn’t loosen, which will naturally make you pay close attention to the movements and pressure of your fingertips.

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[For Seniors] Rehabilitation gadgets to train fingertips. Handmade idea collection (51–60)

plastic bottle

Indoor Exercise Program: Homemade Equipment and How to Use It

plastic bottle

Let’s try making dumbbells that use the weight of water, sand, or similar materials placed in plastic bottles to train your arms.

Carefully pouring sand and other fillers through the bottle’s opening and measuring the weight precisely will also help develop concentration and fine motor skills.

It’s important to choose bottles that fit the user’s hand; keeping grip comfort in mind can also help train grip strength.

Plain water or single-color sand can look simple, so adding decorative elements into the sand or water to make the training more fun could be a great idea.

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Plastic bottles and clothespins

Recreation, caregiving, plastic bottles and clothespins, finger rehabilitation, older adults

Plastic bottles and clothespins

This is a game where you clip clothespins onto the mouth of a plastic bottle and compete to see how many you can connect within a time limit.

Because the rules are simple, quick movements are crucial, and it also helps train finger strength and fine motor skills.

There’s also an important rule that if the chain of clothespins bends in the middle, it doesn’t count, which encourages players to think about how to attach each one.

Precisely because speed is tested, the game can help develop delicate fingertip control for placing clips in the optimal positions, as well as the focus needed to judge where to attach them.

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mitten

[100-Yen Shop] Five Hand Rehabilitation Gadgets You Can Buy at the 100-Yen Store! | Kokoro Care TV

mitten

For people whose hands bend easily when they relax, spreading the hand firmly within a comfortable range and maintaining that position helps bring the hand back to its original state.

Here’s an exercise that supports that kind of hand rehabilitation using tools you can even find at a 100-yen shop.

First, use a rubber band to secure the spread hand to a board, then insert the hand into a mitten as is.

Wrapping with a mitten makes it easier to perform movements like sliding the hand across a desk, so it’s important to stay mindful of moving the arm and shoulder connected to the hand as well.

Moving while wrapped also helps keep the hand warm, which can promote blood circulation.

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Cardboard knitting

Easy with everyday items! Cardboard weaving [hand knitting, yarn]

Cardboard knitting

This activity involves weaving yarn using slits cut into a piece of cardboard.

Wrap yarn around the base slits, then pass another piece of cardboard wrapped with a different colored yarn through the yarn on the base.

Once you’ve finished wrapping, cut the back side and trim the shape to complete your yarn coaster.

The process of carefully crossing the yarn while planning the threading order helps with brain training and finger dexterity.

Choosing colors that clearly match your vision of the finished piece is also important—let’s build finger strength while keeping the fun in mind.

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In conclusion

We introduced handmade rehabilitation items to help seniors train their fingertips.

There were many clever ideas designed to improve precise finger use.

Since many of them use materials that are easy to gather, feel free to give them a try.