FAQs

You can pay by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, etc), Visa or MasterCard debit cards, PayPal or by check or money order. If you pay by credit or debit card or PayPal, your order will be shipped within 24 hours (usually same day). If you choose to pay by check, your order will ship once we have received the check (unless prior arrangements have been made).

No problem. You can order :

By telephone : Just give us a call at 800-834-8290 and we'll be happy to help you out

By fax : Send a list of what you'd like to 855-779-9777 along with your contact information and we'll get in touch with you with the total amount and get your payment information.

By E-Mail : Send a list of what you'd like to sales@keepingbusy.com and we'll send you a note back with the total amount and arrange for payment.

Of course. In fact, we love to talk to people about their situation and how we can help. Give us a call at 800-834-8290, or send us an e-mail at support@keepingbusy.com.

There are several things to consider when choosing an activity. The most important is that the activity is of interest to the person. If the person never showed an interest in doing puzzles, for example, then a puzzle would likely be a poor choice.

The activity should be within their abilities so that they do not become frustrated. The level of difficulty in almost all of our activities can be adjusted to match the abilities of the person, but sometimes there are physical impairments that affect your choice. For example, if the person has very poor eyesight then an activity such as our standard Word Search puzzles may not be appropriate - our Low Vision word search puzzles with larger print and wider spacing would be a better choice. Our article "Modifying Activities for People with Vision Problems" offers more suggestions for people with vision problems.

Another thing to consider when choosing an activity is that it meets your goals. Some activities offer more cognitive exercise while others may offer more opportunity to encourage conversation, for example.

For more information, see our article How Do I Choose An Activity for Someone with Dementia?

There's no easy answer to this because each person is different. However, from our experience we have found that the best choices are the Tangram, Sequenced Jigsaw Puzzles (if the person enjoys jigsaw puzzles) and the Word Search Sets (if the person enjoys word games).

Most of our products are designed to be adaptable so that the same product can be used by people at different stages of dementia.

One of the principles of a Montessori-based activity is that the same activity can be adapted as the dementia progresses, and our activities follow this principle. The importance of this cannot be over-emphasized. If someone is familiar with an activity they will be more likely to retain the ability to use that activity as the dementia progresses. This is a huge benefit and much easier than trying to introduce a new activity.

Of course, it is very important that you should consider the persons interests when selecting an activity, and physical disabilities may limit their ability to do certain things. See our article "How to Choose an Activity" for more information.

The simple answer is "yes". All of our activities come with complete instructions that describe how to prepare for the activity, how to introduce it, and how to adjust the level of difficulty based on the person's response. If you need further assistance, we're available to help.

There's no easy answer to that question. If you have chosen an activity based on the interests of the person, then the answer is likely "yes". For example, if the person used to enjoy word search puzzles (or other word games), then they will likely enjoy our word searches as they are specifically designed for people with dementia. On the other hand, if the person never showed interest in word games then word search puzzles might be a poor choice.

If you choose an activity of general interest, then likely the answer is "yes". Our products are designed to be appealing to people with dementia, to encourage conversation and reminiscing and to instill a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

The short answer is "yes". All of our activities are designed to be adaptable for people at different stages of dementia. The instructions describe how to use the materials and how to adjust the level of difficulty based on the person's response. Of course there are other considerations such as the person's interests and abilities that may affect the effectiveness of a given activity for a particular resident.

When we create our products we keep the sensory aspect front and center. Our photo products use bright images, our laminations are solid and smooth, our physical products are thick, polished and feel good to the touch. In keeping with the Montessori principles, rather than having only a sensory aspect, these same products also offer a variety of benefits such as cognitive, dexterity or reminiscing, depending on how they are presented and the skills, interests and abilities of the person.

For touch we recommend any of the Traditional Montessori activities, as well as the Tangram puzzle and Match the Shapes. Our Match the Photos activities offer bright colors.

Yes. Many of our activities are designed to be used both individually and in small groups. We don't offer activities for large groups because all of our activities are designed to focus on the individual and that is not possible in a large group. Our activities that are best suited for small groups.

There's nothing wrong with making your own activities, and we encourage you to do so. There are also reasons to buy them ready-made.

While some of our products look simple enough, a lot of experience, testing and fine-tuning has gone into each of them. There are nuances to both the activities and the suggested presentation that can make a big difference to the success and effectiveness of the activity.

We can help you be more efficient and have more time to offer therapeutic programs for residents.

Absolutely. All of our activities come with complete instructions describing how to present the activity effectively and help your residents get the most out of it.

If you would like to learn more about Montessori and dementia, you can find articles and information in our Blog.