Written by: Guest Post • March 1, 2020• Senior Health

Top tips to create a daily plan for dementia patients

Dementia is one of the most commonly found mental disorders among older people. Individuals with dementia might not even be able to carry out their daily activities. People age 60 or above have higher chances of dementia. With time, the situation worsens, and at an advanced stage, in addition to various dementia behavior problems, dementia patients lose the ability to do routine activities.

Handling a dementia patient is not that easy. It needs patience and skills. People suffering from dementia need a lot of care, attention and validation. If your parent or any loved one has dementia besides your love and care, they need help in household management, routine functioning, and decision-making. You could even acquire the help of an in-home carer such as those found at Always Here Home Care, however, this is completely optional. Do whatever you and your loved ones feel comfortable with. When there is so much to take care of, making a to-do list or creating a daily plan can be very helpful. In addition to this, the option of memory care facilities is also available. These facilities are a very good option if you are looking to get professional help for your loved ones.

While creating a daily plan, you need to make sure that besides including daily routine and a care plan, try to add some new activities that can be enjoyed by everyone. Be flexible with your daily plan. If some activity in the planner makes the patient confused or anxious, it would be advisable to change it.

What to consider while creating the daily plan:

Daily routine activities
- Chores: The first thing first. Daily chores, including washing clothes, dishes, sweeping, and dusting. Try to involve the dementia patient in simple daily chores like folding clothes, raking leaves, etc.
- Mealtime: Diet plays a very important role. Pen down a healthy meal plan. Add cooking to your daily-to do list. Try to plan meals around the same time throughout the week.
- Personal Care: Many times, dementia patients may not be able to perform their daily personal care like bathing, oral hygiene, dressing, etc. Adding it to your list would make sure that these basic daily routine tasks are taken care of.
Other activities
- Creative: Add creative activities like painting, listening to music, playing an instrument, etc. which the dementia patient can enjoy.
- Intellectual: Add brain training activities like reading, learning a new language, crossword puzzles, etc.
- Physical: Physical activity is very important to keep the body fit and healthy. A morning walk would be quite beneficial for both the patient and the caregiver. Fresh air is very important for all living beings.
- Social: Feeling of loneliness might result in depression and insomnia among dementia patients. While creating a plan, keep a scope of socializing for the patient. Plan a get together with family, friends, and neighbours. You could even suggest that the family buy a phone from fanmisenior to make communication easier. As long as the patient is getting regular contact from their loved ones, that’s all that matters.
- Spiritual: Keep a slot for singing a hymn and praying.
- Spontaneous: Keep a slot for unplanned activities. This includes going out for dinner, visiting friends, coffee with neighbours, shopping, etc.
- Work-related: putting notes or post-its can be very helpful as it would remind the patient about their daily routine. You can even set the timer and write the details of the meal timings, timings for the activities planned for the day. This way, they will be informed about their entire day schedule.
- Bed-time routine: Create a good bed-time routine for the patient that would help them in having a peaceful sleep. You can include talking about good old memories, giving a light head or back massage.
- Medication routine: Giving medicine on-time is very important.

Things to consider while creating the activities

While creating a daily plan, considering the patient’s interest, hobbies, abilities, and strengths are very important. However, you need to be flexible with your plan. You should be ready to make adjustments as per the patient’s needs and health state.

Consider the patient’s skills and abilities.
- Try to involve the patient in the activities which he enjoys doing. Having detailed information about the individual’s likings, hobbies, etc. can be very beneficial. You can add a painting or crafting activities if the individual has an interest in art and craft. Similarly, if the individual loves books, then you can add reading to your daily plan.
Pay attention to what the person suffering from dementia likes and enjoys.
- Pay attention to the individual’s behavior and see what makes him/her happy. For example, some individuals love watching games, whereas others get disturbed by too much noise. Try to avoid activities that might make the patient anxious or confused. If their anxiety is constant then their doctor may prescribe them certain medications, which may end up being a natural product such as medical marijuana and CBD, to see if they can help. Families can look online at websites like https://observer.com/2021/08/best-delta-8-thc-vape-carts/ to learn more about these natural products, if they wish to.
Check if the individual carries out the task with or without any instruction.
- See if there are any activities, which the dementia patient can start doing by himself/herself. For example, if the patient lays the table by himself/herself or water plants without any instructions. If yes, then make sure to add this activity to your daily plan.
Be aware of their physical limitations.
- Before creating an activity planner, be aware of the physical limitations of the patient. Consider his/her limitations, like difficulty in seeing or hearing. If this is the case, try avoiding activities which can be challenging for him/her.

Sample plan

Here is a sample plan that might help create a daily plan for a dementia patient.

Morning
- Get up and carry on a morning personal care routine like brushing teeth, washing face, and toileting.
- Prepare breakfast – Involve the patient in making breakfast as much as he/she is comfortable doing. Lay the table and after easting clear the table.
- Time for creative activity. Plan an activity for the patient based on his/her liking, like painting, reading, etc.
Break time – A caregiver can utilize this quiet time for meditation.
- It is also the time to go for a walk and indulge the patient in some socialization. In case the patient is not in a mood or state to go outside, plan another activity like reading a newspaper, watching sports, etc.
Afternoon
- Prepare lunch. Eat lunch together and involve the patient in post-lunch cleaning.
- Watch a movie or listen to songs.
- Time for a small nap.
- Play cards or crossword or a puzzle.
- Time for some physical activity such as gardening.
- Arranging for a skype chat with a family member or visit a neighbor.
Evening
- Time for dinner. If the patient feels fine, then involve in cleaning the table.
- Start to prepare for bed.
- Give a back massage.
- Help with night hygiene routines like brushing teeth and nightdress.
- Read a book or play some light and relaxing music.

Remember to add medication as per the doctor’s instruction. Once you have created a plan, use it for a while and observe the patient. Make changes as per the patient’s comfortability. With time, the health of the patient tends to decline, often requiring the help of assisted living facilities. You need to be flexible with your plan to provide proper care.

Holly Klamer is a seasoned writer who loves to create content related to aging issues and everything to do with senior living. She is a frequent contributor to many top online publications including Assisted Living Near Me, where she creates content that is specific to assisted living for older adults, as well as SeniorLivingFacilities.net, where she writes about common issues affecting senior citizens and provides senior living advice.

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