A Day in the Life of Memory Care: Exploring Daily Routines, Activities, and Support Services
Choosing to transition into memory care can feel confusing and overwhelming for both the individual and their loved ones. It’s important to find the right memory care community that prioritizes improving the quality of life of its residents, while enabling a lifestyle that fits your unique needs.
Goals For Memory Care
Memory care communities are designed to promote psychological and physical well-being in seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s. This includes activities to promote brain stimulation and slow cognitive decline, social interactions to combat loneliness and light physical movement to support overall health.
It’s also important to have variety in dementia care to maintain engagement, for example having regular outings and events where an individual’s family can also get involved. Ultimately, ensuring programs are tailored to the individual allows them to maintain independence and feel a sense of belonging within the community.
Being structured yet flexible, here is what a day in the life of memory care home will typically look like:
Morning Activities: Stimulating The Mind & Body
The morning always starts with activities that help residents wake up their mind and body. For example, music is a common practice, where residents are encouraged to sing or dance along, or simply listen to songs that facilitate positive emotions.
Light walking or stretching is also encouraged to help maintain physical function and circulation. Doing these morning activities as a group also encourages social interactions between residents where friendships can be fostered, which is very important for emotional health.
Midday Activities: A Time To Rest
Around midday, residents will have lunch prepared by the culinary team. Meals always use fresh ingredients and are made to suit a broad range of tastes and preferences. This is also the time where seniors may need to take any personal medication.
Special dining programs for seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s are also common – one example is the dining with G.R.A.C.E program which stands for: Great food, Respect, Atmosphere, Chef-prepared, Every meal every day. This enables residents to look forward to each meal time in a comfortable dining room, with ambient lighting and light music to ensure relaxation when eating.
Afternoon Activities: Creativity, Outings & Visits
After residents have rested, the afternoon is another opportunity for socializing and getting involved in activities. This can be with other residents, other members of the senior living community, and even visits from family members.
For example, there are several arts and crafts workshops, cooking/baking lessons, sports or group outings to local parks or museums that residents can get involved in. Also, family members are encouraged to get involved too!
Prioritising social activities in memory care homes is important for residents to feel a sense of belonging, especially when they are in a new environment, so there are plenty of opportunities for this for residents.
Evening Activities: Winding Down
The evening time is for residents to have dinner at their own pace, wind down, and partake in activities that help promote sleep. This means creating a calm and peaceful environment. For example, playing soft relaxing music in the background, watching TV and drinking herbal teas.
As always, residents are invited to take control of their lifestyle, so how their day looks and the activities they choose to get involved in can look different between individuals. However, there are always endless activities and opportunities for them!
How Memory Care Residents Are Supported
Alzheimer’s and dementia care is always tailored to the individual, so staff is always aware of different residents’ needs and preferences. The culinary team always welcomes input from the senior living community as it’s important that residents enjoy what they eat. Whether it’s a home recipe or something new they want to try, the team is always happy to provide it!
There are also plenty of safety measures in place for seniors in Alzheimer’s and dementia care. This includes having safety-equipped bathrooms, 24-hour-on-call assistance, pull cords in restrooms and a fully secure indoor and outdoor environment. This ensures that those in memory care homes as well as their loved ones can have peace of mind no matter where the individual is.
Lastly, it’s vital to keep in touch with the residents family members, communicating with how things are going for their loved ones and how they can get involved with the activities organized.
Learn More About Mirabella Assisted Living & Memory Care Today
At Mirabella, our memory care program is thoughtfully designed to support individuals living with Dementia and Alzheimer’s, offering a secure, home-like setting, personalized support, and daily programming that promotes comfort, safety, and overall well-being.
To learn more about our memory care community and the types of support we offer, you can schedule a tour today!
