Morning time: Starting the day

It’s helpful to have a set time for waking up and then several things to do in sequence to get the day started. Think of bathing, brushing one’s teeth, getting dressed and then sitting down for breakfast. As dementia progresses, the person you care for will need help with each of these activities but one way to lower stress is to keep the basic routines as similar as possible.

During the day, it’s also important to try and make time for activities that the person living with dementia enjoys, such as visiting a friend or another family member, going for a walk, reading, playing games, or listening to the radio. These activities will depend on the person’s prior interests and current abilities.

In the early stages of dementia, your family member or friend may be able to do things that they like to do with minimal guidance. However, as the disease progresses, activities will need to be changed or modified so that they can still enjoy them. It’s important to be flexible and creative in figuring out the routines and then adapting them as needed over time.