Sharing the Love – Fidget Mats for Dementia Patients

Written By: Li Cross - Jun• 21•18

The Fidget Mat Mission is growing and God is all over it. This week some of us Fidget Chicks were able to meet with the Christian Women’s Connection in Arlington Texas. As we arrived, I noticed a table full of “Fidget Mats.”  Looking closely, I realized that our group didn’t make these. They were hand made by a sister group called “Fidget Friends.” Linda Dunson was visiting Granbury and happened to see my Presentation on my Fidget Mat Mission. She went home and contacted ladies in her area and started a sister Fidget Mat Group. This is what God intended when we started this mission. I hope that pods of Fidget Mat Makers pop up all over the Country.

Do you want to change lives? Clean out your craft closet, your junk drawer, and make some of these wonderful mats. Contact men or women you know that have a sewing machine and form Fidget Groups in your town. We meet once a week to exchange ideas, gadgets and socialize. Then a couple times a month we go to Goodwill or other Thrift Stores, Garage Sales and neighbors’ Craft Rooms. This Hobby is very rewarding for the creator of the Mats and the recipients. Once you have 10 or 20 mats made up, take them to your local Nursing Homes or Assisted Living. Give them to the Activity Director or Speech Therapist. They will fall in love with the mats and then give them to the residents (patients.) The blessing I receive is beyond anything I’ve ever done in charity work. These mats bring back memories, give a sense of touch, and bring a smile to a loved one who probably hasn’t smiled in months. I don’t charge for these mats. I donate them. If I need to ship them across the state or country I ask for a monitary donation to help with costs of shipping. We use a “Nextdoor” social media site to encourage neighbors to donate gadgets and cloth place mats and more than half of our supplies come from these donations. Your local YMCA or Community Center may allow you to place a bin in their lobby to collect gadgets for the mission. 

I encourage you to give this some serious thought. Share this story with friends, meet with friends and give your group a name. Then start making a difference in your town. My mom and I started this mission one fidget mat at a time. We’ve now donated over 2,000 Fidget Mats in Texas, Washington and Michigan.

 

Feel free to contact me for more information. li@licross.com.

Follow us on Facebook. “Fidget Chicks” Granbury, Texas. 

 

Left photo is the Fidget Friends of Fort Worth, Texas.

 

Right photo is the Fidget Chicks of Granbury, Texas.

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