Go with the Flow

Our Day Care Center has a full of surprise, amusing moments, and small happiness with some hectic occasions. Taking care of over twenty clients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia per day is a quite handful work. Their functioning levels are various from mild to late stages. Someday this activity works, someday this doesn’t but the other activity works. It does completely depend on the flow of our day.

When we coordinate and plan our daily schedule, we look at our daily routine, preparation and quick morning meeting, participants’ functioning levels, their interests and traits, purpose/goal of activity, quality and meaning of every activity, combination with staff members and clients, how we use our staff members’ strength and their interests, time frame, and extra time for necessary ADLs (activities of daily living) cares including toileting, feeding, and transferring. (Each of these elements regarding coordinating activities will be discussed separately in the series of "Elements of Planning and Coordinating Successful Activities.")

Even though our day is completely planned well, nobody knows what will happen next. It is fine if the daily schedule doesn’t go well. It is fine if our activity ends in failure. Everything is an experiment. Even though it is important to follow our basic routine (will be discussed the next posting in "Daily Routine: Consistency and Flexibility"), go with the flow. As long as our clients are happily entertained, actively interacted, physically and mentally stimulated, and safely protected, our day becomes one of the successful days.

Still, our clients gain something important and meaningful moments from being with us, participating in activities, having meals together, touching their hands and smiling, and talking and listening to others in the group setting. In return, we, as staff members, are given valuable and precious lessons by them.