Creating Normality

Having a general daily routine in Alzheimer’s and dementia care helps caregiving run smoothly. These routines won’t be set in stone, but they give a sense of consistency, which is beneficial to the Alzheimer’s patient even if they can’t communicate it.
While every family will have their own unique routine, you can get some great ideas from your medical team or Alzheimer’s support group, especially regarding establishing routines to handle the most challenging times of day, such as evenings.

• Keep a sense of structure and familiarity. Try to keep consistent daily times for activities such as waking up, mealtimes, bathing, dressing, receiving visitors, and bedtime. Keeping these things at the same time and place can help orientate your loved one.
• Let your loved one know what to expect even if you are not sure that he or she completely understands. You can use cues to establish the different times of day. For example, in the morning you can open the curtains to let sunlight in. In the evening, you can put on quiet music to indicate it’s bedtime.
• Involve your loved one in daily activities as much as they are able. For example, your loved one may not be able to tie his or her shoes, but may be able to put his or her clothes in the hamper. Clipping plants outside may not be safe, but your loved one may be able to weed, plant, or water. Use your best judgment as to what is safe and what your loved one can handle.

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Simon Says...!

If you are having trouble motivating your loved one with Alzheimer's disease to complete routine tasks like bathing or brushing his or her teeth, try making a game of it by playing Simon Says. As the disease progresses, your loved one will probably need step-by-step instructions, so why not make it fun. Here's some example for playing Simon Says to accomplish daily care activities:

Brushing Teeth:

Simon says pick up your tooth brush.
Simon says put some toothpaste on your tooth brush.
Simon says brush your upper teeth.
Simon says brush your bottom teeth.
Simon says brush your upper left teeth.
Simon says brush your lower right teeth.
Ans so on....

Bathing:

Simon says it's time to take your bath (or shower).
Simon says go into the Bathroom.
Simon says take your clothes off.
Simon says step into the Bath Tub (or shower).
Simon says pick up the sopap.
Simon says rub the soap over your left arm.
Simon says rub the soap on your left leg.
Simon says rub the soap on your cheast.
Simon says rub the soap over your right arm.
Simon says rub the soap on your right leg.
Simon says rinse the soap off your body.
And so on...

Washing Hair:

Simon says wet your hair under the shower (or sink, depending on how you normally prefer to do this task).
Simon says put some shampoo in your left (or right) hand.
Simon says rub the shampoo in your hair.
Simon says rinse your hair under the water.
Simon says pick up the towel and rub the water out of your hair.
And so on...

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Bathroom Signs & Toiletry Labels

Managing Challenging Times of the Day

Having a general daily routine when caring for your loved one with Alzheimer’s helps caregiving run smoothly. Your  routine won’t be set in stone, but it will give you and your loved one a sense of consistency, which is very beneficial to everyone.

While every family will have their own unique routine, here are some ideas for establishing routines to handle the most challenging times of day, such as evenings.

• Try to keep consistent daily times for activities such as waking up, mealtimes, bathing, dressing, receiving visitors, and bedtime. Keeping these things at the same time and place can help orientate your loved one.
• Let your loved one know what to expect even if you are not sure that he or she completely understands. Try using cues to establish the different times of day. For example, in the morning, open the curtains to let sunlight in. In the evening, put on quiet music to indicate it’s bedtime.
• Involve your loved one in daily activities as much as he or she is able. For example, your loved one may not be able to tie his or her shoes, butcould put his or her clothes in the hamper. Clipping plants outside may not be safe, but your loved one could weed, plant, or water. Use your best judgment when deciding wha'is safe and what your loved one can handle.
• If your loved one is in the early stages of the disease, you may want to keep a Daily Routine Notebook to write down routines for the morning, afternoon and evening so you and your loved one can keep organized. A Daily Routine Notebook will also help your loved one manage his or her tasks as independently as possible. In the early stages, maintaining independence is key.