How to Create a Daily Routine That Works for Your Aging Loved One
For most seniors, daily routines are quintessential elements of maintaining good physical and mental health. With a sense of stability and safety, your loved one can better enjoy their golden years.
Today, we’ll go over important steps for creating and maintaining a daily routine for your loved one.
We will also discuss ways in which our team at Visiting Angels of Chelsea can lend a hand with your loved one’s routine!
Assessing Your Loved One’s Needs
To create a daily routine for your senior loved one, you’ll first want to thoroughly assess their needs and preferences.
For example, your loved one may need to take medications at a certain time or require a specific diet. They may also require mobility assistance during their morning routine or help with cooking at meal times.
Spend several days with your senior loved one and ask them directly about their needs in order to fully assess everything their daily plan should include.
Building a Workable Plan
Structure your loved one’s daily plan in a way that is clear and easy to understand. It may be as simple as something like this:
Morning:Brush teeth, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, go on a morning walk
Afternoon: Read for an hour on the back porch, eat lunch, work on hobby projects
Evening: Eat dinner, listen to relaxing music, prepare bedtime routines
The key is finding a balance of structured time and flexibility. A daily schedule should provide your loved one with feelings of consistency without becoming monotonous or restrictive.
Finding Joy and Meaning in Each Day
As shown in the example schedule above, it’s also important to include mentally and spiritually enriching activities in your senior loved one’s routine.
Things like enjoying the outdoors, meditation, spending time with family and friends, attending religious services, and working towards personal goals are all fantastic ways for your senior loved one to find joy and meaning in their life.
Stay Flexible
We also discussed how it’s crucial that you allow for flexibility in your loved one’s schedule. After all, a schedule isn’t helpful if your loved one feels trapped by their daily routine.
Consider taking your loved one on day trips and special outings from time to time to keep them stimulated and give them things to look forward to.
Flexibility is also important in regard to changes in your loved one’s changing needs. As your senior loved one gets older, their needs will likely change. They may develop new habits or require additional assistance with tasks that they were able to handle on their own previously.
As such, you should keep an eye on your senior loved one and routinely check in with them regarding their daily schedule.
How Visiting Angels of Chelsea Can Help
At Visiting Angels of Chelsea, we can help your senior loved one with any non-medical need they have! Whether they need assistance with mobility, meal preparation, personal care, or something else, our Angels are ready to provide outstanding in-home care.
All of our care plans are individually tailored, ensuring your loved one will get a personalized routine that properly addresses their needs.
If you are interested in learning more about our non-medical care services, schedule a free in-home care consultation by calling our office at 617-409-9039 today or filling out our online contact form. Top-quality senior care is just a call or click away!