Senior Care in Indianapolis, IN

Spring is the time for warm weather, flowers, leisurely afternoons, and bringing your elder care out into the great outdoors to enjoy everything you have been missing in the long, cold months of winter. Fun projects that encourage creativity and personal expression while providing a final result you can enjoy throughout the rest of the year is a fantastic way to spend quality time with your elderly loved ones and create lasting, tangible memories.

This elder care project is great to do just with your elderly parents, to get your children involved and spending time with their grandparents, or to put together as a kit for your seniors’ elder health care services provider to do with them as a mind-stimulating activity. The resulting personalized garden stones make meaningful gifts or beautiful accents for a garden or flower bed. Since they are crafted from outdoor-friendly materials including concrete, you can feel confident leaving them out in the elements without worrying they will get ruined.

What You’ll Need

• Plastic five gallon bucket
• Jigsaw
• Styrofoam slabs
• Plastic wrap
• Pre-mixed concrete
• Lubricating oil spray
• Outdoor paint
• Embellishments such as glass stones, stained glass pieces, or marbles

What to Do

• Use the jigsaw to remove the edge from the top of the plastic bucket to create the mold for your stones. You could also create molds out of wood or Styrofoam and line them with plastic wrap, or use store-bought walkway stone molds

• Follow the directions on the package of pre-mixed concrete to create the actual concrete

• Thoroughly coat the inside of the bucket ring mold or the plastic wrap inside your homemade molds with lubricating oil spray. This will prevent the finished stone from sticking to the mold after the concrete sets

• Cover a flat, hard surface with plastic wrap and coat it thoroughly with lubricating oil spray. This project is best done outdoors when the weather is dry and warm to ensure the stones have plenty of

time to set without getting in the way

• Place the molds on the oiled plastic wrap and carefully pour in the prepared concrete, filling the mold completely but not letting it overflow

• Allow the concrete to sit for approximately two hours until it begins to cure and stiffen. Attempting to add embellishments or other details when the concrete is too soft will only result in the embellishments sinking and disappearing into the concrete

• Coat your elderly parents’ hands thoroughly with oil and help them press them firmly into the curing concrete. Use a sharp implement to add their names and the date underneath the prints. Immediately wash their hands to prevent irritation from the concrete

• Get creative personalizing the stones by pressing embellishments into the concrete. Be sure they are pressed far enough in to stay securely embedded when the concrete cures, but not so far that the concrete covers them

• Follow the instructions on the concrete package for allowing the stone to set completely. When it is fully cured and hardened, used outdoor paint to paint the inside of the handprints for an additional pop of color and contrast

• Once the paint is dry, carefully remove the stone from the mold and display in the garden.

The professionals at Great Care are available to talk with you and your family about all of your home care needs. Great Care is a non medical in-home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in Indianapolis, IN and the surrounding areas. Call (317) 595-9933 for more information.