Developing Daily Routines as a Caregiver
When it comes to being a successful caregiver for an Alzheimer’s a patient, nothing can be as effective in terms of routine care as a daily routine. This can be a necessity for any individual dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.
One of the most difficult things for those with Alzheimers disease to handle is change. As their disease progresses change can be even more troubling and can cause even more confusion and even fear or anger. This is why developing a structured schedule and a daily routine as a caregiver is so important. A strict daily routine will help the individual with Alzheimers remain calm, can help with their cognitive abilities and it can help relieve added stress for caregivers.
Here are some of the most important considerations to take when it comes to developing daily routines for Alzheimers patients:
- When you start to develop a daily routine for an individual with Alzheimers disease it is important that you are realistic about what they can and cannot do. You can avoid a great deal of stress and frustration on both of your parts by being realistic and not trying to add activities that will be too difficult to complete to your loved ones routine.
- Consistency is key, so always make sure that you are following through with things and that you are staying consistent.
- Make certain you are involving your Alzheimers in daily tasks and letting them do as much of them on their own as you can. Instead of just volunteering to feed them or dress them, let them try at first with your help and only provide assistance as needed. This is a great way to keep them cognitively involved and to make sure they are maintaining a high self-esteem.
- It can actually help a person with Alzheimers to repeat the same task over and over again, so if they are repeated and activity such as folding and unfolding the newspaper and it doesn’t frustrate or bother them, let them continue. This activity may be a meaningful act to them. However, if their repeated behavior does seem to frustrate them, then consider giving them something else to focus their attention on.
- Maintain a similar bathing routine for the individual. While you will likely need to help them with bathing now, it is important that you try to keep their bathing schedules familiar. If the individual is someone who usually showers first thing in the morning, try to keep their bathing routine on track unless other circumstances arise.