Proprioceptive Feedback & Playful Fidgets
BUSY BEE LAP PAD
Activity and comfort rolled into one. The colorful Busy Bee Lap Pad is made of a soft fleece. A five pound gel pad inside adds therapeutic weight . Weight provides comfort and calms individuals who are prone to restlessness. The 10″x18″ gel pad is secured within by a Velcro closure. The gel pad is flexible so the Busy Bee Lap Pad drapes securely over the user’s lap. The gel pad, with glittery stars, easily slides out and can be used as an activity on its own. Includes a name tag.
It has 5 manipulative and stimulus providing attachments— real lamb’s wool, a liquid motion , a bean bag, a Tangle, and movable wood beads. The red edging provides additional visual and tactile stimulation.
All attachments can be removed for laundering. Please keep this in mind if your loved one likes to disassemble things. Please be careful that attachments aren’t put into the mouth. If you need to attach things more securely they can be sewn, but for hygienic reasons the product was created to be easy to clean.
Busy Bee is available for purchase at Best Alzheimer’s Products.
THE RESEARCH BEHIND THE BUSY BEE WEIGHTED LAP PAD
This from a PsychologyToday.com article posted December 2011:
“In psychiatric care, weighted blankets are one of our most powerful tools for helping people who are anxious, upset, and possibly on the verge of losing control,” says Karen Moore, OTR/L, an occupational therapist in Franconia, N.H.
“These blankets work by providing input to the deep pressure touch receptors throughout the body,” Moore says. “Deep pressure touch helps the body relax. Like a firm hug, weighted blankets help us feel secure, grounded, and safe.”
The Busy Bee provides the same benefits, and can be used while sitting. In addition, the attached sensory activities provide a further level of comfort while easing anxiety.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
I’m my mom’s 24 hour caregiver. She has dementia and is frequently agitated. I’ve wanted to buy the Busy Bee Lap Pad for months but the cost was prohibitive. Being her caregiver I have no income and my savings are about gone. But, different meds haven’t been much help in helping her be calm and not doped up. So, I spent the money and bought this product. Now, I think maybe it’s worth it. She wants it on her lap at all times. The things to fiddle with keeps her occupied and the weight on her lap really seems to keep her centered and relaxed. My only problem is prying it away from her at mealtime and bedtime. I get a lot of smiles from her too….that really makes it worth the price. ~ David in Atlanta
I work in a Memory Care Community and was wanting something for one of our residents to do with her hands. She loved it and gets mad when they take it away for meals. Just used in on a new male resident and he took to it right away. ~ Kats
This lap pad is great and my Mom used it immediately. My only problem is that she quickly removed all of the attachments and they were quickly lost rendering the pad useless. Can I buy replacement attachments that I can more securely attach? ~Heidi
(Heidi’s lost attachments were replaced. The fidgets are not available for sale by themselves, but if you buy a Busy Bee and lose the attachments, let us know and we will gladly replace them. If this is a persistent problem, some of the attachments can be stitched to the cover for added security.)