The daily Waverly model
The day belongs to the person.
Waverly does not build the day around an institutional activity calendar. Each resident has an individualized rhythm — shaped by who they are, how they move through the world, and what supports them.
Individualized rhythm
No two mornings look the same.
The daily schedule at Waverly is not a program that residents are asked to follow. It is a rhythm that is built around each person — observed, refined over time, and held consistently by staff who know them.
One resident may naturally wake early and enjoy coffee, music, and folding laundry. The morning is full and purposeful before most of the house has stirred.
Another may sleep later, require a slower morning transition, and respond better to bathing after breakfast rather than before. The sequence is adjusted — not the expectation.
Another may become distressed when asked directly to go take a shower, but transition successfully when bathing is incorporated naturally into an established grooming routine. The approach changes. The outcome is the same.
That distinction — between asking someone to comply and building a path they can follow — is at the center of how Waverly thinks about every part of the day.
Resistance with ADLs
Behavior is communication.
The wrong question
"How do we make them comply?"
The right question
It is: "What is this person communicating?"
Resistance is rarely about the task itself. It is often about timing, language, environment, approach, sensory experience, fear, pain, confusion, or a loss of control that the person cannot articulate in any other way.
Staff are trained to examine all of these factors before concluding that a behavior is simply a symptom of dementia to be managed. Often, a small adjustment — a different time of day, a different staff member, a different sequence of words — changes everything.
This approach requires patience, observation, and genuine curiosity about the individual. It is not always faster in the moment. But it produces better outcomes, less distress, and a more dignified experience for the person.
Staff approach
Consistency, curiosity, and care.
Timing
When in the day is this task attempted? Does the person have more ease in the morning or afternoon? After a meal or before?
Language
How is the request framed? Direct instruction can feel threatening. An invitation, a familiar phrase, or a gentle redirect may open a door that a command closes.
Environment
Is the space too loud, too bright, too cold, too unfamiliar? Sensory factors that seem minor to others can be overwhelming for someone living with dementia.
Approach
Who is asking, and how are they entering the interaction? A familiar face, a calm tone, and an unhurried presence make a measurable difference.
Sequence
Does the task fit naturally into an established routine, or is it being introduced as an interruption? Embedding care tasks into familiar sequences reduces resistance.
Meaning
What does this activity mean to this person? Understanding their history, preferences, and associations shapes how care is offered.
We'd welcome the chance to explain this in person.
The daily model is best understood through conversation. We are happy to walk families through our approach and answer any questions.
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