Support & Guide

How to support individuals to follow the daily routine?

  • Start small

Getting dressed and combing their hair.
Making themselves coffee or breakfast.
Doing housework
Making a weekly call to a friend or relative.
Making a grocery list and shopping.
Doing some exercises.

  • Focus on the cans versus the can’ts

Individuals maybe dealing with changes to their health and mobility, and it’s normal for them to feel overwhelmed and even frustrated, however always guide them to understand what they can do.

  • Dive into their routine with them

Helping individuals to stay motivated is as simple as diving into their routine along with them.

Doing things together is fun as well as an opportunity for joyful bonding.

  • Use schedules and reminders

Providing individuals with tools to manage parts of their routine can help them take ownership of their daily tasks and feel more in control.

Some tools for daily activities include:
Writing reminders on a white board where they can see them.
Setting hourly timers to remind them to get up and move.
Creating a schedule for simple household chores.
Making to-do lists for tasks like medication  activities, shopping

  • Make movement a priority

While muscle loss is a natural occurrence, we can do activity to combat these losses.
To begin a movement starting by:
Checking with a medical provider about what can be done safely.
Finding movements they feel comfortable doing.
Supervising or joining in with them for safety.
Remembering that even a few minutes of movement has benefits.

  • Join A social group

If an individual has a hobby they enjoy and they like socialising, join a group dedicated to that activity.
This will give them an opportunity to mingle and feel supported in doing something they love.
A social circle of like-minded, active individuals can go a long way.

  • Focus on what they love

 Ask to understand what the individual loves to do and provide opportunities for them to get  engaged in it. Something for them to look forward to enjoy.

  • Honor their independence

It is key to convey that we want to honor individuals personhood and all the things that are important to them and actually encourage independence. Doing everything for a person strips them of all they still have to contribute. 

The focus needs to be on how much life the person has lived and what they still have to contribute.

Keeping a routine has its benefits however stay flexible and adjust accordingly.