When people are feeling vulnerable they may request a specific, familiar supply which is related to the materials being used but not needed with this particular project. Regard this as their invitation to discuss what they have done in the past, which may give you some clues about what will appeal to them now.
Examples of some work activities when people dislike crafts include:
- Collating papers (without carbon paper, which photographs well for you to get the idea.)
- Bundling large trash bags.
- Attaching strings to identification tags.
- Hole punching
- Scratch pads are made with recycled paper. The paper, shirt board, and the fabric are cut to the same size to avoid the fold over: all are hole punched and threaded onto a metal holder This work task can be adapted from ACL 3.6 through 4.4.
Finding the above activities in a hospital setting took years of creative scrounging for a regular and steady source of projects. In the end, the work group did a lot of work for the craft groups. Since we were in control of both, we could avoid many conflicts. Those people who refused to have anything to do with something called a crafts group, did not mind volunteering their time to help others who did. Well, not all the time. There was the occasional person who would not work unless paid. That person might be willing to do something we called Basic Skills, which was paper and pencil, 3rd grade reading and writing. People functioning within ACL 4.4 and 4.6 really struggle to do very simple (1st grade) reading and writing activities and may end up doing nothing but causing trouble.
Some simple activities are:
- Threading needles for crafts groups
- Cutting felt for craft projects
- Such as notecards
- Or pot holders
- Felt can be stitched or glued
