I work with dementia units and for men like your father, I bring in tool boxes and ask them to organize them (clean the tools, but the ratchet set pieces back where they belong. Sort the screws and the bolts, etc). I also will bring in a board and ask them to sand it for that book shelf we are making. I ask them to sand all the edges and the top and sides so its read to be stained for the shelf. These ideas have worked very well for me. I hope it helps!

I was just told by one of my quilt circle friends about what is called a "fidget quilt". I did some investigating and they are just really neat. A small lap quilt with "things" to fiddle with. Looking for something particularly for men, I thought that hardware tied on or nuts and bolts that needed to be screwed on or unscrewed. These seem to sell between $15.00 and $75.00. In a way they remind me of the little fabric baby books we used to make for little children (as are our Alzheimer's patients) with buttons, zippers, shoe laces and soft windows and plastic pockets. I'm really excited about these and I think it will be really good for our loved ones who don't want to play with puzzles or other easily available toys. Let me know what you think.

Computors & even telephone is beyond my mom now but they do make these "busy" blankets that have all kinds of activities & textures that seems to keep them occupied

Make sure whatever you get is large enough for him to see, and easily handle. If not it will just be frustrating for him.

Teepa Snow (who has great videos on YouTube) recommends getting different lengths of pvc pipe and various fittings, and have them put those together and take apart. Make sure the pipe is a small enough diameter that it is easy to handle. Also try jigsaw puzzles, it us one of the few things my mom still enjoys.