Providing your elderly parents with daily routines is one of the most helpful things you can do for them. We are all creatures of habit and can benefit from having a predictable and reliable schedule, especially elderly parents. Having daily routines boosts mental and physical health, two things we all want to support in our aging parents. To help you achieve that goal, we’re sharing some of the top tips and benefits to help you get started with daily routines for elderly parents.
Why Foster Daily Routines for Elderly Parents
As your parents get older, they may start feeling as though they have no control over their lives, particularly as they start needing more assistance. That’s even more true if your elderly parents have health problems that resulted in physical or cognitive impairment. Having predictable daily routines relieves disorientation and the feeling of not knowing what’s going to happen throughout their day. It replaces that stress and anxiety with the comfort and reassurance of knowing what activity they will be doing, the person they are doing it with and their schedule. Overtime, the routine activities become almost second nature. This gives your parents a stronger feeling of independence.
Decrease Cognitive Decline
That same stress and anxiety aging parents experience as they need increasing amounts of help are compounded for elderly parents with Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The disease slowly makes it harder for an aging adult to carry out their daily living activities. The familiarity of daily routines not only helps relieve stress and anxiety, it may help to calm potential irritability and aggression. It boosts confidence and self-esteem for the elderly parents and may help to decrease family and caregiver stress.
Increase Healthy Lifestyle
Two of the common problems among aging adults are forgetting to get groceries and forgetting to eat their meals. Following a regular schedule reduces the odds your elderly parents will forget to eat a meal and nourish their bodies.
To ensure your elderly parents get the nourish they need and want, set aside time to create a personalized grocery list together. Discuss their daily food preferences, favorite meals, and dietary needs. Then schedule regular shopping trips or arrange for grocery delivery. Additionally, plan a meal Schule that outlines the time, type, and purpose for each meal. From breakfast to dinner to snacks, make healthy eating easy and intentional for your elderly parents.
Enhanced Sleeping Patterns
Pre-bedtime routines can drastically help to improve sleeping patterns. Getting up and going to bed at the same time can contribute to better-quality sleep for your elderly parents. As we age there are lots of factors that can make it difficult to get enough rest, including medications, medical issues, stress, and lack of exercise. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep is important for overall health. Keeping a regular schedule for sleep is vital to overall health and makes it easier to set bedtime routines ensuring an ample amount of rest.
Supporting Daily Routines for Elderly Parents
Talk to your elderly parents about creating a daily routine for themselves. Get their input on what is important for them. Make sure these goals are realistic, and include common daily living activities; waking up, activities, an eating schedule, and bedtime routine. Creating a chart or calendar will form structure, and support success in the daily schedule.
Include all caregivers, medical appointments, and doctors’ names in the calendar. Ensure that the expected schedule is tailored to the person. Not everyone is a morning person or night owl. Slowly change unhealthy activities, and habits into better ones. For example, if your elderly parents like a bowl of ice cream before bedtime, suggest something healthier like a piece of fruit or cheese. Don’t forget to include caregivers in the routine because it’s essential your parents know when people are coming and who will be showing up.
We hope these helpful tips support healthy daily routine for the elderly parents in your life. For more helpful information on elderly parent care, visit our Learning Page.
