Involving your loved one when planning a care routine helps you to understand their needs and wants, preferences, and abilities. It also gives them a sense of participation in having a say in their own care and increasing their enjoyment. Be flexible and creative in the plan.
If there is more than one caregiver, do regularly update each other on the information and progress of your senior. This helps to reduce miscommunication and mismatched expectations in caregiving.
The "4 Ps" — Planning, Perform, People and Pace
The “4 Ps” –
Planning,
Perform,
People,
Pace – is an easy guide to help you start planning a routine with your loved one.
As a caregiver, your time is precious, with many tasks to do in a day. With a routine, you and your loved one benefit from better time and care management. To begin, let’s follow these four steps as a guide.
- List Down the daily tasks and activities that need to be done (morning, afternoon, and evening)
- Understand the needs, preferences, and abilities of your loved one
- Have an open discussion with your family to decide who does what
- For caregivers, plan some activities for yourself
- Use the care routine as a guide on what to do and look out for throughout the day
- Adjust and improvise the routine as needed, so that you and your loved one are comfortable
- Plan for extra help in activities if you are unable to manage, due to physical or time limitations. There are care services available to support you
- Communicate regularly with other family members on the condition of your elderly loved one
- Allocate tasks and responsibilities to family members or friends, to ease the load. This may include financial planning, transportation, and meal preparation
- Take the time to perform the activities without over-exerting yourself or your loved one
- Make sure you and your loved one get adequate rest between activities
Care Routine Template
We have prepared an easy guide to help you start planning a routine with your loved ones.
Download our basic care routine guide and template
here.
