Engaging your care clients, especially your senior clients, in purposeful activities enhances their cognitive function, promotes emotional happiness, and provides a sense of routine and structure.
By adding puzzles into your care routines, you can offer another fun activity that will also stimulate the mind and deliver a sense of accomplishment along with fun.
Here’s how to develop a Daily Activity Plan:
Structured daily activities are very important for our care clients, providing a sense of connection. Activities refer to the things we do daily, like waking up, showering, eating, and organizing our day. These routine tasks are collectively known as Activities of Daily Living. Everyone has their own preferences and routines. For individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease, maintaining these activities can determine whether they feel loved and needed or unloved and unnecessary.
In the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia, individuals often lose the ability to retain recent memories and may have difficulty learning new information.
They may repeat questions, misplace items, wear inappropriate clothing, or even forget their home address. Creating a daily routine and maintaining a simple, organized living environment are very important tasks. When planning activities for individuals with Alzheimer’s, consider their stage of the disease, recognizing that engaging in activities helps them feel connected and comforted.
Your approach to developing a Daily Plan for Engaged Activities:
- Make the activities part of your daily routine
- Focus on enjoyment, not achievement
- Determine what time of day is best for the activity
- Offer support and supervision
- Be flexible and patient
- Stress involvement by them — even if you are asking them which cup to use or which color to pick
- Help the person remain as independent as possible
- Simplify instructions
- Establish a familiar routine
Watch this video on Friendly Activities you do at home with your care clients:
