4 Dementia Care Practices to Promote Success & Wellness

When it comes to dementia care, there are certain practices that caregivers can adopt that will benefit the person living with dementia and the caregiver. These practices can lead to a more compassionate, thoughtful and successful care plan.

As a dementia care provider in Auburn, Indiana, Astral at Auburn offers a safe, comfortable, and home-like environment for residents living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Our mission is to enable our residents to experience lives of fulfillment and purpose while receiving the essential support they need.

Dementia care can present challenges – some of them sudden and unexpected – but there are also opportunities to deepen your relationship and experience great joy. Below are some practices to help you do just that.

Focus on the Person, Not the Condition

The most important thing to remember when providing dementia care is that you are treating a person, not an illness. Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are irreversible, progressive conditions – once a person has been affected by dementia, there is no turning back.

However, a person living with dementia is still a whole person – someone with vital needs and desires, and someone who needs help to meet those needs. By focusing on the person and not the condition, a memory support caregiver can create routines that best align with the person’s circumstances. Every decision you make should not be based on solving the “problem” of dementia but on creating a warm, loving, and safe environment for the person. If you do this, you will find that providing dementia care has many rewards.

Astral at Auburn practices person-centered dementia care in our Auburn, Indiana, memory support community. Our memory care and support specialists are highly trained and experienced in delivering thoughtful, personalized dementia care. Our memory support team offers residents a safe, enjoyable place to call home by meeting their health and wellness needs and providing opportunities to live each day with purpose and joy.

Establish a Routine

Creating a steady routine can have a tremendous impact on a person living with dementia. When you establish a set routine each day, you provide security and confidence with memory support, giving the person a clear view of what to expect. 

Daily routines often help in other areas as well, including mealtimes and nutrition, exercise, engagement activities, socialization and sleep patterns. When you are building a personalized routine as part of your dementia care plan, here are some key areas to focus on:

• Wake up at or around the same time each morning.
  
• If possible, gain exposure to natural light as soon as possible – a morning walk or time outdoors is a good way to start the day.
  
• Plan meals around the same time each day.
  
• Ensure that each day provides meaningful, engaging activities.
  
• When possible, plan a second outdoor activity/exercise for later in the day.
  
• Schedule a nighttime routine to help a person wind down and prepare for sleep.
  

At Astral at Auburn, we establish daily routines for residents that match their unique needs. Included in our monthly calendar are various enrichment activities, providing a variety of meaningful and fulfilling events for residents to experience and enjoy. We also offer nutritious meals and brain-boosting snacks, which are available all day.

We believe that by creating a community focused on the needs of individuals living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, we can provide a safe, loving home where those individuals and their families can feel cared for and secure.

Stay Flexible

Although it is essential to establish strong routines for successful memory support, it is perhaps equally important to remain flexible with each new day. Because dementia is an ever-changing condition, it is possible that something that has been working for days or weeks could become unsuccessful – seemingly overnight. For example, getting a loved one ready for the day may typically take 30 minutes, but on some days, it might take two hours.

In these situations, it is important to remain patient and flexible – and to remember that memory care is all about doing what is in the best interest of the person. Although sudden changes in the plan can be frustrating, it is important to create a loving and compassionate care experience. Keeping this goal in mind allows you to step back, reassess, and change the plan accordingly.

Astral at Auburn’s dementia care community in Auburn, Indiana, provides the highest level of memory support to residents and families. By following these best practices, you can also provide thoughtful, supportive care to someone living with dementia.

We invite you to visit our website for more information about dementia care and our memory support community.