Anchor the day at three points, not twelve
A schedule with a dozen entries is a schedule nobody keeps. Pick three fixed anchors — a start, a middle and a wind-down — and let everything else float around them.
Once the anchors are genuinely reliable you can add a fourth. Not before.
A workable shape for the day
- Around 8am: curtains, radio on, breakfast and the first drink of the day.
- Around midday: a proper meal, even a small one, and a second drink.
- Around 3pm: something to look forward to — a walk, a call, the garden.
- Around 5pm: lights on before dusk, television down, evening meal started.
- Around 9pm: the same closing sequence every night, in the same order.
Prompts that support the routine instead of interrupting it
The wording matters more than the technology. 'It's Tuesday afternoon — Sarah rings at four' works. 'Reminder: task due' does not.
You Care Reminders lets you set the exact times and phrasing once, then it repeats without you having to remember. You can see when a message was confirmed, which is often enough to stop you ringing at ten at night.
When the routine slips
Expect drift after any disruption: a hospital stay, a holiday, a bereavement, even the clocks changing. Rebuild from the anchors rather than trying to restore the whole day at once.
The wider picture
roughly 6 in 10
people with dementia in the UK live in their own home, not in care.
Source: Alzheimer's Society