Dementia Management: Why Routine Is So Important

Helping to care for someone with dementia can be incredibly challenging — the neurodegeneration is not only incurable, it’s also progressive.

In the United States, there are more than 7 million people who are living with Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of dementia. And this number is expected to rise quite a bit thanks to an aging population.

Despite the fact that most cases of dementia are progressive and incurable, board-certified neurologist Dr. Paul Gill and our team at Gill Neuroscience want to emphasize that you’re not without options for improving the situation, whether you’re a patient or a caregiver.

While we can certainly do our part with medications that can slow progression and improve symptoms of dementia, we want to discuss an important step on your end — creating routine.

What happens when dementia takes hold

In reality, dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning, and it’s more of a category of symptoms than it is a disease. For example, Alzheimer’s disease is the underlying condition that leads to dementia.

And this one simple word — dementia — encapsulates a very large range of symptoms, such as:

• Memory loss, especially short-term
• Trouble voicing thoughts
• Confusion
• Trouble following instructions
• Issues with communication
• Anxiety
• Agitation
• Irritability

This list is very much incomplete, but we want to illustrate that dementia can impact cognitive skills, emotional health, and behaviors. And as the underlying disease progresses, these symptoms worsen, and people with dementia can become detached from reality altogether.

Routine — a best practice for people with dementia

As you might imagine, managing dementia is ever-changing, because you have to meet the person where they’re at. While this means that no two dementia plans are exactly alike, we can say that a vast majority of dementia patients thrive better with routine.

People with dementia live in a world that’s becoming increasingly confusing and hard to navigate, so a routine gives them a framework that they can hold onto.

Creating a comfort zone through routine is essential for dementia patients and can go a long way toward helping them to retain some independence. It also reduces anxiety and agitation quite a bit, since routines are just that — something people do every day.

Some good strategies for setting up a routine include:

• Keeping to a tight time schedule
• Creating a large wall calendar that the dementia patient can easily see
• Including every activity, from eating and exercising to doctor’s appointments and medication times

When you set up your routine, it’s also important to be both flexible and rigid. You want to stick to the schedule as closely as you can, but you also need to change the schedule as you go to accommodate your loved one.

For example, many people with dementia experience sundowning, which describes heightened symptoms toward late afternoon and evening. So, many people plan routines accordingly to work around sundowning, such as getting important things done in the morning, including doctor’s appointments and visits with family.

We can help with your daily care plan

The best way to get started on a routine and daily care plan is to sit down with Dr. Gill, who can guide you every step of the way. Not only do we encourage routines for patients, we also help caregivers, too, so we want to make sure the care plan does both jobs well.

For help with dementia care, we invite you to call our Houston, Texas, office at 832-912-7777 or use our online form to request an appointment.