How to Make a Routine That Keeps Dementia Patients Busy (in 30 min or less)
Do you need to keep your loved one or client busy throughout the day and have heard routines help but don't know where to start?
In this post, we are going to learn how to make a routine that will keep your loved one or client busy and happy for the whole month in 30 minutes or less so you can stop wasting so much time trying random things that don't work and help keep your loved one or client happy and calm.
By the way, when you do get that win, comment it down below so we can celebrate you.
3 Steps to Making a Routine for Dementia Patients
When quickly making a routine that will work for your person with dementia, there are 3 steps to do so
1. Answer 3 questions about their lives before dementia
2. Make a list of tasks and activities that relate to the 3 questions you answered (don't worry, there is a downloadable to help your out with this in the description)
3. Assign 1 task or activity for the morning afternoon and evening for each day
Step #1: Answer 3 questions about their lives before dementia
When it comes to figuring out a routine that will work for your person as an individual, being able to answer these 3 questions will guide you to the tasks and activities best suited for them.
1. What did they do for work before dementia?
Was mom a homemaker? Worked in an office? Did Dad work with this hands a lot for work?
Simplify these tasks into something they can be successful at will allow them to continue to do tasks that are meaningful to them.
It is important to incorporate tasks they would find to be productive for their self esteem. By giving them opportunities to feel like they contribute, it prevents agitation or frustration due to not feeling useful from coming up.
2. What hobbies did they have or what did they enjoy doing before dementia?
Did Mom used to make jewelry, do the sunday crossword puzzle or did Dad like to golf?
Thinking about what they used to like in their younger years is more likely to work than throwing random "dementia friendly" leisure activities usually doesn't work.
As your person with dementia moves through dementia, having leisure activities from their childhood may be appropriate, especially in the later stages as long term memory tends to stick around the longest.
3. What kind of household tasks did they do before dementia?
Did dad like to do yard work? Did mom do dishes? As opposed to throwing at them that needs to be done or doing everything for them, giving them simplified versions of household chores to do in their routine will help them feel like they are a contributing member of the household.
Examples can be
Mom holding expired cans for you,
Holding the laundry
Dad watering the lawn
Step #2: Make a master list of simplified activities based on this list
Once you have answered the questions, write down activity ideas and put them under the categories of:
Leisure
Chores
Work tasks
If you need help with that download this: https://dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.s3.amazonaws.com/Activity+Checklist.pdf
Step #3: Assign 1 task or activity for the morning afternoon and evening for each day
As a general rule,
#1. The morning can have a task, chore or leisure activity that requires more focus
Examples of this can be trivia, crossword puzzles, matching laundry based on colors
#2. The afternoon (specifically right after lunch) needs to have more movement to prevent sundowning or agitation
Examples are chair yoga, more active chores or a more active leisure game
#3. The evening activities should focus more on unwinding or activities that require less focus
Examples are TV, movies, listening to music or a mindless task
Take your list and plug in 1 for each time of day for each day of the month.
Conclusion
So there you have it, quickly making a routine that will work for your person with dementia, you
1. Answer 3 questions about their lives before dementia
2. Make a list of tasks and activities that relate to the 3 questions you answered (don't worry, there is a downloadable to help your out with this in the description)
3. Assign 1 task or activity for the morning afternoon and evening for each day
Try at this routine and see if you can get yourself a win with your loved one or client.
If you do, make sure to comment that win down below and while your at it, join my facebook group and share it with our community as well by clicking the link below.
Join us for Caregiver Wins
Caregiver Wins is a free monthly facebook live series:
Caregiver Wins is a facebook live that happens at the end of every month.
We focus on getting you wins with a new challenging behavior and helping you take action quickly with a bite sized challenge.
It'll be a content-packed summary of the training our members did this month... except it's free for everyone.
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At Dementia Caregivers Success & Support Community, you will get:
Celebration for all you do as a caregiver that often gets overlooked
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