Boredom sucks and being trapped in your own home is not healthy. As the caregiver of a person with Alzheimer’s disease, the world around you is shrinking. If you often feel uninspired and bored then I have some unique ideas to help you stay intellectually stimulated.
Online higher-education
With a computer and an internet connection, you can now bring the world’s universities into your home. It is truly an amazing opportunity. Practically every university in the world offers online classes. You don’t have to take out student loans to get access to some good resources for education, however. Many sites offer free courses that are taught by professors or leaders in a given industry. Udacity, Coursera, and edX seem to be the three most popular sites.
While I’d like to tell you that I frequent these sites, I just don’t have that much brain capacity – lol. I have successfully used Udacity, and I’ve heard many people talk positive about Coursera. Most sites offer a wide curriculum that should include something of interest for you. Your learning starts with researching which one is right for you.
If you are familiar with these or others, please comment and let us know how your experience went.
Amazon’s Mechanical Turk
While this doesn’t sound as impressive as getting a higher education, this is definitely one way to keep yourself engaged and you can make money while doing it. You’ve possibly hear ads or seen SPAM about how you can make money online by answering surveys – well this is it.
When I first heard about this opportunity, I was very intrigued but also skeptical. I thought, “Heck, I don’t have a job. Let’s make some money.” So, I signed up and gave it a try. To be honest, I quickly realized that I needed to be focused on TogetherInThis so I lost interest. I did, however, earn a $2.00 credit that I blew on Christmas 
.
Basically, businesses have routine tasks that they need completed. Tasks such as market research of websites or answering surveys. These businesses essentially create what are called Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs). After registering, you find HITS that interest you and that you qualify for. You then complete the HIT and get paid. This won’t be for everyone but if you are interested, click on this link Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.
Write for a blog
Writing is a great way to get things off your chest. Sure you could just write in a journal but you need to do something with more purpose – something that will inspire you to write. At first, I was going to tell you to create your own blog and write. While it’s not that hard to create a free blog these days, let’s take a simpler more conservative approach.
What about writing for others? You could be a guest blogger for a blog that you love such as TogetherInThis. If you think they could use a different perspective in some areas, maybe you have what is needed. In this example, as the caregiver, you are the expert. You know what you are talking about and others can benefit from your experiences.
You don’t have to write about caregiving. To be honest, since you need to get a break from caregiving, you probably should write about something else that interests you such as cooking or woodworking.
Start by writing an article focused on a particular topic. Keep it under 1,000 words. When it’s ready, send it to your favorite blog, and see if they are interested. If they don’t respond, try another blog site.
Projects with purpose can alleviate boredom
You need to create projects that take time (weeks, months, years) to complete. This way each day you have goals related to the project. Heck you might even get out of bed inspired to work on your project! Fighting caregiver boredom is essential to your long-term success so get started today!
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We’d love to hear how you fight boredom. Please share with us by commenting below.
I didn’t really consider myself a caregiver till recently. Even though my husband has been ill nearly 2 years, I thought he would eventually recover. It was only Mono after all. 22 months later he is so debilitated he spends most of his time in a recliner. So how do I deal with boredom? Well, I am here aren’t I? Thank god for the internet. I would have done myself in by now without it. I am going to take some of these suggestions. I like the online education. It just so happens that my son needs help with his growing business, so I will look at some accounting and business courses. I am moving in with him and his wife and my grandson in December. Of course my husband will be coming I am just sad today. Nothing helps but time when I am this blue. I watch Netflix, search things online. I read some. Sometimes I just look at my husbands face and remember the man he was. Moving to Florida is the best thing I can do in this situation. I love the ocean. I can get a personal attendant for him down there, I will have more time to do some things I like. I will miss his company.
Thank you for commenting, and what a tough situation you are going through. I’m glad that you like the suggestion of online education. Your son is fortunate to have you wanting to help him; I now how hard it is to run a business without much help or being able to afford it 🙂 Oh, and the accounting, uugh. I’m also glad to hear that you will find some relief when you move because you do deserve it.
My Mom had a stroke a year and a half ago. I worked full time and had lunch and dinner with her every day for the six weeks she was in rehab. After being released she could not be alone for two months, so I worked it out to be able to work from home by logging into the server at work. That meant working a lot of late nights and weekends to try to keep up. A family member kept Mom for 6 weeks and then decided to go back to work. I quit my full time job to be Mom’s caregiver. When she moved back in she needed 3 weeks of rehab and to use a walker, which she didn’t need previously. Mom fought having to use the walker and a lot of the activities we did prior, she was no longer able to do. She just does not have the strength to walk very far now and refuses to use a wheelchair on outings. It’s been a huge change in both our life’s because we are basically homebound. Shopping, going out to lunch and walking by the river are a thing of the past. She refused to go to adult day activities to give me a break, even though her doctor suggested it. She won’t go to chair yoga or the pool to exercise. I’m a prisoner in my own home. My freedom is 2 hours a week to grocery shop.
I’m depressed and losing the will to do anything around the house. I’m sick of cleaning house, already cleaned by drawers and closet out, need to garden, but need to run to the nursery for flowers. I can’t afford to hire anyone to come in once a week. It’s a catch 22.
Wow Andrea I thought I had it bad with my mother now 97 because I haven’t had a vacation in 14 years but at least I get away a few hours a week – I feel so bad for you. Let me know how you are doing and perhaps I can help here and there with assisting you with hired help. This is first time I have seen this great blog by Mike because I was feeling really bored for first time.
Mike thanks very much for your blog and its great that this serves so many people that reflect your own situation as you give care. I’m a newbie as I’m assuming the role of primary care giver as my sister steps back understandably to live more of her own life. Recently in the last month I have given up a full time job and already I’m experiencing boredom and a kind of guilt that I should be doing something – as though I’m still in ‘deadline meeting mode and keeping my manager happy by meeting the stats mode. ‘ I’m resuming an old writing course but at the same time I have to get myself off the computer to spend time with our mother as I find that its like I’m reinventing my room to be the office I don’t work in any more. Thanks and I appreciate your positive attitude and selflessness Mike in thinking of your cared for, but also thinking of others caring along side your place and station as it were; in life.