For older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease, a familiar routine can help put them at ease and prevent negative emotions such as confusion and agitation from occurring. This is why creating a daily plan can be hugely beneficial for both loved ones and their caregivers, as well as family members and anyone who stays in contact with the loved one. As such, it’s crucial to create a daily care plan that lists out everything your loved ones and the caregiver needs to do, which also helps to better organize the day and prevent situations where the caregiver is unsure what to do. If you’ll like to find out more about daily care for Alzheimer’s disease, continue reading.
Things to Consider When Planning a Daily Care
Before actually planning the daily care routine, the caregivers should take in a few considerations and factors. This can be achieved by knowing what are the usual times for waking up, going to sleep, and bathing. As such, the caregivers should sit down with the loved ones and their family members in order to better understand the loved ones’ regular routines each day, and structure daily care from there. We recommend asking about the loved ones’ likes and dislikes, capabilities and interests, what times of day loved ones perform best, and how loved ones used to structure their days. This allows the caregivers to get a good idea on a suitable daily care that provides an opportunity for loved ones to go about their day as smoothly as possible. In addition, as a little note of advice, it’s best to leave ample time for bathing, grooming, and feeding, as you can face challenges in these activities for loved ones living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Daily Activities to Take Note of
While every loved one is different and has varying needs and expectations, there are certain activities that need to be covered in all daily care plans. Here is a checklist that can be used as a guide:
- Household chores, such as doing the laundry and cleaning the house
- Meal preparation and feeding
- Personal care and grooming needs
- Bathing
- Creative activities like listening to music, painting, and drawing
- Physical activities like taking a walk, exercising, gardening, and participating in fitness classes
- Social activities like meeting friends, attending classes, shopping, dining out, and watching movies
- General errands and appointments
Example of a Daily Care Plan
If you need some help, you can take inspiration from this daily care plan we have created. Of course, you do not have to follow each step as every loved one has different priorities and lifestyle needs. Therefore, this example is simply meant to give you an overall idea of what a daily care plan should look like.
- Morning
In the mornings, your loved ones should start their day by brushing their teeth, washing up, and getting dressed. Afterward, they can prepare breakfast and have a cup of coffee, while discussing about topics they are interested in or the day’s events. The morning can offer much respite for loved ones, so they can take this time to unwind or do some light chores around the house. Loved ones can also consider taking a nice walk outdoors if the weather is pleasant.
- Afternoon
As the afternoon’s sun rays can be particularly harmful, we recommend staying indoors as much as possible during this time. After your loved ones have prepared and eaten their lunch, they can look forward to doing some activities, be it creative or social. Just simply watching television can be useful as well. Some loved ones do take naps during the afternoons in order to replenish their energy.
- Evening
The evening is all about relaxing after a long day. Once dinner is completed, your loved ones should clean the kitchen before having a cup of tea and dessert. Your loved ones can then unwind with a movie or by reading a book. We recommend taking a warm bath before going to bed due to its multiple benefits.
