Most options:

Provide a closet of 10 selections of clothing for the week, plus options for specialty clothing like going to a fancy dinner or workout clothing. You can split up these sections with tags on the closet rod such as “Monday–Friday,” “Weekend,” “Workout,” etc.

Fewer options:

Limited selection of five days worth of work / weekday clothing options and two weekend wear options for them to choose from, and that is all that is in their closet every week.

Simplest options:

• Each day, lay out two outfit options on the bed and let the person choose one. (It is okay if they then mix and match within those two outfits.)  OR
• Gather most items such as bottoms, underwear and socks, but then give a choice on one item, such as choosing between two shirts.

Meals

Most options:

Choose two breakfasts, three lunches and five dinners with simple recipes, and the person can make whichever recipe they want for each meal.

Fewer options:

At any given meal, provide them with a choice between two meal items such as eggs and toast or oatmeal for breakfast. If verbally telling them the options makes it difficult for them to decide, provide photos of each meal and let them point to and choose which meal they want.

Simplest options:

Provide a meal they like, but allow choice between two different drinks at each meal.

Cooking

Most options:

For snacks, create a labeled and contained “Snack Area” in the pantry and in the refrigerator.  In a bin in the pantry and refrigerator, place three to five different snack items to choose from.

Fewer options:

In the “Snack Area,” provide photos of two to three items that make up a snack so the person can choose a card and match the items they need to the card.

Simplest options:

Choose a simple recipe and set up a work area with already measured ingredients and follow the pattern of putting one ingredient in a bowl, stirring, putting in the next ingredients, stirring, etc. until all ingredients are in, and the ingredients are stirred and ready to eat or bake.

Let the person decide how often to take a shower or a bath.  If you are assisting in bathing, try to observe these rituals and provide choice based around their natural pattern of bathing.  Some people may not want to bathe if we keep insisting that they must wash their hair first and they normally wash their body first.

Fewer options:

For timing of bathing, allow the person to choose the time as often as possible.  If the person does not want to take a bath when you are asking them to, ask them if they would like to take a bath after dinner or before breakfast the next day. Write down, with them, the time they have chosen to bathe so you can refer to the decision again later.

Simplest option:

At shower and bathing times, provide choice between two different smelling soaps during the shower or two lotions after the shower.

Most options:

Weekly, go over scheduling of work and other events to learn more about what the person loves to do and how they want to spend their time to help them not over-schedule themselves and to be able to notice changes in the amount of events they can handle in a given day or week.

Fewer options:

Allow the person to coordinate their own day and check in with them on a larger calendar just to be sure they have logistics figured out and their events do not conflict with other events. Create activities that are around the home that the person can pick up and do at any time during the day. This provides choice throughout the day but with a limited number of choices that are prepared by the environment.

Simplest option:

Provide a general schedule, but each week or every few days, allow the person to choose between a few activities they would like to do, such as go out to a movie, shop at the farmer’s market, meet friends for coffee, etc.

Hang a small white board in the kitchen with one or two chores on it each day for the person with dementia. Remind the person at the same time each day to check the chore list.