As a caregiver for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s, you can have a lot on your plate. With the health of both your loved one and yourself in mind, it is best to create care plans so that you know what needs to be done and when. This will make it much more manageable to provide effective and personal dementia care.
Your dementia care checklist
When creating your daily care plans, here are some key things you should consider:
- What medication they need and when
- Scheduling in balanced meals
- Household chores
- Personal hygiene schedule
- Grocery shopping
- Physical activities – e.g. walking, tai chi, yoga
- Mental activities – e.g. brain training puzzles, crosswords, reading
- Creative activities – e.g. drawing, playing an instrument, making crafts
- Time for hobbies and interests – e.g. gardening, knitting
- Socialization – spending time with friends and family
Make sure you include plenty of activities each day as well as time for rest if needed. Depending on how well the patient responds to change and spontaneity, it can also be a good idea to leave some time free each day for unplanned activities.
Personalize your daily plan
Your daily plan should be catered to activities that your loved one enjoys, such as hobbies and interests that they held before being diagnosed. They may not be able to take part in these in the same way they used to, so it’s also important to tailor the plan to the patient’s abilities. It’s also good to consider the activities that you enjoy. Taking part in activities together that you both enjoy will help to make things more enjoyable and less stressful for both of you.
By monitoring your senior loved one, you may also be able to tailor your plan based on the times of day they are most functional. You can schedule more active and engaging activities for these times and use their weaker periods for more relaxing activities.
Keep your daily care plan flexible
Your daily care plan doesn’t have to be set in stone. You can adapt things as you go along, learning about which activities should and should not be included in future plans. If a particular activity causes them a lot of stress, then you can decide not to repeat that activity again.
One of the most important things as a caregiver is remembering to look after your own health as well as the one you’re caring for. If you need any support with memory care for a loved one with dementia, Brookstone of Clemmons can give you the help you need. Our assisted living community is another great option for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia.