Contrary to popular belief, people are capable of thriving for many years, even when they have Alzheimer’s dementia. This is especially true if you take certain actions to make your daily life as comfortable and as easy as possible.
With help from your caregiver and family members, you can find purpose and comfort in your daily life and even pleasure in the simplest things.
Establishing a Daily Routine
There’s no denying that having dementia can take a toll on your daily life, but having a routine in place can really make a huge difference. When creating your daily routine, consider the following:
- Use a whiteboard or calendar to keep your daily schedule and always check off tasks or activities upon completion. Along with physical reminders, you can also set alarms on your cellphone to remind you of your tasks.
- Consider scheduling your daily appointments at the same time, on the same day whenever possible.
- Establish automatic bills payment and check deposit plans.
- Keep your cellphone, keys, and other important things together.
- Try to keep your cellphone with GPS capability on your person as much as possible for emergency purposes.
Being Your Own Caregiver
There are certain steps you could take to safeguard your health, feel in control of yourself, and foster meaningful ways to connect with your family, friends, and other residents in the assisted living facility in Phoenix you’re living in. These include:
- Caring for your physical health. Speak to your doctor about exercises that you can safely perform. Make sure you eat well and do activities that stimulate your mind and body, such as tai chi or yoga.
- Caring for your psychological and emotional health. When emotions are threatening to overwhelm you, feel them, sort them out, but don’t wallow. Get professional help and join a support group composed of people who are undergoing the same experience as you.
Stay in constant with your family and friends. Even online will do if, for some reason, you can’t regularly see them in person. - Caring for your spiritual health. Whether you’re into religion or nature, make sure that you don’t forget to nurture your spirituality.
Reducing Stressors in Your Life
Determine what causes you stress so that you can anticipate your next moves, reduce triggers, and remove yourself from stressful situations. Establish boundaries and ensure that others are aware of what and what you can’t take.
Make sure that you have someone to talk to when you need to sort out your feelings. When carrying out certain daily tasks that stress you out, break them down into manageable pieces.
Modifying Strategies and Goals
By accepting all the changes that your condition brings and determining how you modify your coping mechanisms accordingly, you might feel a greater sense of control over your life. Set realistic and attainable goals and then focus on how you can achieve them.
Approach your goals one at a time and take a breather when you feel stuck and overwhelmed. Last but not least, know that it’s perfectly fine to ask for help whenever you need it.
