Routines and Rituals with Alzheimer’s Care

Alzheimer’s disease affects seniors in some predictable ways, like affecting cognition, but it also can make them feel uncomfortable and uncertain about the world around them. Alzheimer’s care services can help seniors and family caregivers to cope by helping establish rituals and routines that foster a sense of well-being and stability. Here’s how that can work.

Familiarity and Comfort

For seniors battling Alzheimer’s disease, the world can quickly become disorienting and confusing. That’s a scary feeling, especially when seniors are in their own homes. Routines offer a powerful tool that seniors can lean on in order to feel better about what’s going on. Familiar activities, a predictable schedule, and compassionate care all help to ensure that seniors feel supported and comfortable as they move through their days.

Predictability

Having a consistent daily schedule is so important for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease. Waking up at the same time every day, having meals around the same times, and having established bedtimes makes each day more predictable. All of this works together to reduce anxiety for seniors because they subconsciously start to anticipate what comes next. Home care providers can guide seniors with Alzheimer’s through their routines, keeping them on schedule.

Reduced Stress

Routines and rituals are repetitive in nature, which makes them soothing. When seniors know what to expect, they experience far less anxiety, stress, depression, and other negative emotions. They also tend to feel more in control of what’s happening around them as they participate in familiar routines. Seniors with Alzheimer’s feel less as if life is happening around them and more as if they’re empowered.

Flexibility

The important thing to remember about routines is that as important as they are for structure, flexibility is just as important. Alzheimer’s care providers help aging adults to walk that fine line between having a set routine and adjusting and adapting routines as necessary. As Alzheimer’s disease worsens, it’s even more important for those routines to adjust to meet new needs. Care providers work together with seniors, family members, and healthcare providers to find the right combination.

Types of Routines and Rituals

The types of routines necessary for each senior vary, but they share some similarities. Routines around waking up and going to bed are often the most important to establish early on because those provide a bookend for the senior’s day. Routines for getting dressed, showering, and eating meals help to keep seniors on target with hygiene, nutrition, and other important tasks. But it’s also important to include routines for fun and engaging activities, too, like listening to music, creating art, and having fun with friends and family members.

When dealing with a challenging illness like Alzheimer’s disease, routines and rituals keep seniors on track with their goals. Alzheimer’s care providers understand how vital it is for seniors to have a supportive environment in which seniors with Alzheimer’s disease can feel comfortable and secure, knowing that their needs are met. The right routines allow seniors to relax and feel confident in the people helping them.

If you or an aging loved one is considering Alzheimer’s care in Brentwood, CA, please contact the caring staff at Provident Care Home Care today at (209) 578-1210.