Why You Need a Daily Routine as You Get Older

Almost all of us follow some daily routine. Whether we’re aware of it or not, routines give our lives structure and stability, positively impacting our mental health. However, as we enter our retirement years, our long-held routines suddenly change as we no longer have to go to work every day. This change can be exciting at first, there is this newfound freedom to do whatever you want! Alas, as the dust settles – the freedom can quickly turn into monotony. 

If you’re worried about you’re retired parents feeling aimless or gradually lacking purpose, we encourage you to help them create and maintain a daily routine. Let’s take a closer look at the why: 

Daily Routines Reduce Stress And Anxiety For Seniors

When you wake up in the morning and don’t have a plan for days on end, it can make anyone feel restless, aimless, and worried. Seniors report experiencing feelings of anxiousness and depression at alarmingly high rates, and not having a daily routine can significantly magnify these feelings. 

Sit down with your parents and help them create a daily routine, including important things like medication reminders, meal times, and bedtime rituals, which ideally should be around the same time every day. They’ll soon see that having structure reduces any feelings of stress and anxiety, providing a sense of daily purpose.

Schedules Increase Feelings Of Safety And Security In Older Adults

Aging causes unique changes in our minds and bodies. Many older adults will experience some changes to their cognitive and physical abilities. These changes can result in seniors feeling unsafe because it’s as if they can no longer trust themselves.

A daily routine gives your senior parent something to trust, a secure timeline t – Breakfast at 8am, morning chair yoga at 8:30am, getting dressed for the day by 9am, etc. The routine will stay the same regardless of other circumstances that may be out of their control, and you can modify their daily routine if their health or abilities change over the years. 

Following A Routine Improves Sleep Patterns In Seniors

It helps to  encourage your senior parents to do certain things at the same time every day, such as waking up at 7am and going to sleep at 8pm. Older adults often report sleeping less as they age, however, sleep is vital for a healthy immune system, mental clarity, and overall health and well-being. Although it can be tempting to stay up later when you’re retired and don’t have to get up for work in the morning, adhering to the same bedtime every night can help you form a habit that encourages you to fall asleep easier and stay asleep throughout the night. We all feel better when we’re well rested, which is especially true for seniors, so the sooner you help your older parent create their daily routine, the sooner they’ll be able to improve their sleeping habits. 

If you have any questions about establishing a daily routine for your senior parents or would like to know more about how a senior living community can enhance their quality of life, please visit our website at: https://umcommunities.org.

This blog was originally published at https://umcommunities.org/umc-corp/blog/daily-routines-as-you-age/

Why You Need a Daily Routine as You Get Older

 

Have you heard the expression: “We are creatures of habit”? Our daily routines are a huge part of our lives, and they’re also important to our mental well-being as a whole. If you’re in school or in the corporate world, then your daily routine is most likely a 9-5 schedule Monday through Friday. Older adults who’ve retired, however, often find themselves not having a consistent daily routine. This can lead to feelings of restlessness, and the lack of structure can have negative impacts on their mental health. 

A senior’s daily routine can also be impacted by changes in their mobility. We will all experience the effects of aging, and whether it’s gradual mobility loss or more sudden due to illness or injury, physical changes can result in disruptions to daily routines. In this article, we will go over three main reasons why it’s important for seniors to develop a daily routine, despite their retirement status and mobility level.

It Reduces Stress and Anxiety 

Imagine waking up and not having any idea what each day will entail. Unpredictability makes us feel anxious, so creating a daily routine is a great way to cope with these feelings. A routine can be especially important for older adults who have dementia because it helps foster a sense of security that they may have lost after their diagnosis. 

Seniors who aren’t physically able to take care of themselves or engage in the activities they once loved can also benefit from a daily routine. Work with them to create a schedule that dictates who will be taking care of them, exactly what tasks the caregiver will be doing, and when these tasks will occur. This will help remove some of the stress they feel about losing independence. 

Increase Feelings of Safety and Security

No one enjoys constant insecurity, and with some very specific exceptions, most of us do not enjoy unplanned surprises. Creating a daily routine helps your senior loved one cultivate feelings of stability and safety, and allows them to have more control over their day. Rather than dictating their routine to them, we recommend sitting down with your loved one and discussing it together. Start with the basics: wake-up time, breakfast, medications, showering, and getting dressed for the day. 

When your loved one can look at their calendar and know what’s coming in the days ahead, it helps them feel more in control of their own life. 

Improves Sleep Duration

Getting adequate sleep is crucial for people of all ages, but it’s especially important for seniors, who sometimes tend to sleep less as they get older. Lack of sleep has negative impacts on both physical and mental health, so creating a bedtime routine is one way to encourage healthy sleeping habits. 

We recommend creating a bedtime routine that your loved one can do at the same time every night. Includes things like brushing your teeth, showering, locking all the windows and doors, changing into pajamas, and any other relaxation techniques they want to do before bed. It can be tempting to simply fall asleep on the couch while watching TV, but this doesn’t result in good quality sleep and they’ll likely wake up in the middle of the night feeling disoriented.  

If you have any questions about helping your loved one create a daily routine, or if you have any questions regarding senior care at United Methodist Communities, please contact our team today: https://umcommunities.org

This blog was originally published at https://umcommunities.org/blog/daily-routine/

4 Benefits of Seniors Having a Daily Routine

We all benefit from having a daily routine, but for seniors who are enjoying their retirement years, a daily routine becomes even more important. Once someone retires, they have a little less structure in their life and significantly more free time, so they may need help creating a new daily routine that gives them a sense of fulfilment and purpose. 

As humans we all need to feel a sense of certainty, and no one likes to wake up feeling aimless. If you have older adults in your life who have recently retired, we know they’d greatly appreciate assistance with creating a new daily routine for this new phase of their life. Here’s why having a routine is beneficial:

Reduces anxiety and stress for seniors

Are you afraid of the unknown? Many of us would answer yes. As people age, it’s normal for them to slowly lose control over certain things like independence, mobility, and cognitive abilities, and this loss of control can make older adults feel anxious and stressed. 

One way to combat anxiety and stress is to plan and create a structure, in this instance via a daily routine. If your senior loved one knows what is going to happen and when, as well as knowing that you’ll be there to help, this creates a sense of comfort and stability.

Promotes safety and security for older adults

For older adults who need assistance with certain daily tasks, like cooking, cleaning, driving, or attending appointments, creating a daily routine helps them stay safe and secure. This is especially true for seniors with memory issues. For example, if your aging parent tries to stand on a step stool to change a light bulb and they fall, how long will it be until someone finds them and they get medical care? Take a walk around their house and make a list of everything that needs doing, and let them know you’re taking care of it. 

Enhances senior sleep patterns

It’s common for seniors to have trouble sleeping, yet proper sleep is a critical part of remaining healthy in our older years. Many doctors recommend doing certain daily activities at the same time each day, like bathing and eating, to establish a sense of routine and to facilitate better sleeping habits. Sticking to a daily routine during the day and even having a specific bedtime routine at night can help seniors sleep more soundly through the night. 

Increases control over the day’s events

As mentioned above, we lose control of many parts of our lives as we age, but retaining a sense of control is important to our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. If your loved one is feeling anxious or bored throughout the day, sit down together and work out a daily routine, then do your best to stick to it. 

Daily routines in assisted living

There comes a point when it’s no longer best for seniors to remain in their homes, and if you feel you’ve reached this point with your loved one, it may be time to consider assisted living. Senior living communities provide a sense of structure and routine, while also ensuring residents remain safe and healthy with access to medical professionals and caregivers around the clock.

For more information about our senior living communities across NJ, or if you have any questions, please contact our team today. Discover how we can help create a successful daily routine for the seniors in your life by visiting our website at: https://umcommunities.org

Original blog posted on https://umcommunities.org/health-wellness/4-benefits-of-seniors-having-a-daily-routine/