Consistency can be a powerful way to support a loved one with dementia. Appreciating its benefits can empower you and help you recognize the importance of routine for dementia patients. Review tips for building healthy habits and routines to increase your understanding of your loved one’s experience so that you’re prepared to foster smoother interactions.
Why Is Routine Important for Dementia Patients?
The importance of routine for dementia patients is widely acknowledged. Since dementia can make learning new things challenging, routines offer familiarity and a sense of security. It’s worth noting that short-term memory is often the first form of memory impacted by dementia. Because routines rely on procedural and long-term memory, dementia patients are able to recognize and complete their routines even as their disease progresses. Many dementia patients take comfort in doing so, and they may feel a sense of achievement in completing them.
How Do Dementia Patients Benefit from Routine?
As the Alzheimer’s Project notes, routine offers numerous benefits for dementia patients:
- Less stress: A consistent routine contributes to a relaxed atmosphere with less stress and anxiety because everyone knows what to expect.
- More memory: A regular routine can help transfer information into long-term memory. Since dementia patients are more likely to retain information in a usable way through routine, having a routine can increase the time they spend maintaining their skills.
- More independence: Familiar routines empower dementia patients to complete tasks with less assistance, providing them with more freedom and control.
Tips for Building a Routine for a Dementia Patient
With the importance of routine for dementia patients, it’s only natural to want to understand what goes into building a solid routine if you have a loved one experiencing this condition. The best routines are customized to incorporate the things the individual enjoys. They also include a mix of physical activity, rest, socializing, stimulation, and calm. Ultimately, the goal is to give the day a predictable structure with room for flexibility to accommodate changing needs.
What goes into constructing a routine for a person with dementia? Whether you’re building a routine or interacting with someone with dementia, taking a look at what helps create a good routine can help you because it offers insights into their experience. Verywell Health offers some useful tips:
- Consistency is vital. Consistency is what makes a routine predictable and steady. Of course, the routine will evolve over time as the person’s needs change. For the best results, try to adjust their routine with small changes and minimal disruptions.
- Offer simple choices. Limit choices to two or three options to reduce potential anxiety.
- Work with their body clock. Identify when they are naturally most alert, ready to eat, and prone to resting. Whenever possible, use these tendencies to set times for appropriate activities.
- Consider their abilities. Be mindful of what your loved one can accomplish independently and when help is available.
- Work for balance. Aim to include both active and restful periods, as well as stimulating and calming activities.
- Embrace repetition. Like routine, repetition is a useful tool that can help dementia patients build connections and maintain function. Embrace it, and incorporate it in routines.
Routine can be incredibly useful for dementia patients. It provides structure and familiarity and can help your loved one retain connections and skills. At Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care, our memory care community embraces a “Touch of Grace” philosophy that includes incorporating the five senses to aid in establishing simple routines throughout the day. As part of our effort to ensure that every resident receives the right care, each resident has a personalized care plan that’s created with input from their families. Our highly trained staff is always ready to meet their needs with an array of specialized techniques, including encouraging, prompting, and problem-solving.
If you hope to retire in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, the Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care could be the ideal place. Our friendly and compassionate staff members offer individualized care 24/7, ensuring all residents’ safety, security, and happiness. The Beach House provides assisted living and respite care. Most importantly, we tailor these services to suit each resident’s unique needs. To learn more about our amenities, please schedule a tour, send us a message online, or call us at 904-615-8076. We look forward to hearing from you!