Night Problems

[amberence]

Mum who varies from mild to severe dementia depending on the time of day really giving me problems at a nights. Starts around five o'clock after tea and can have it for twelve hours, through till five o'clock the following morning giving me all kinds of problems when her dementia at its peak it seems.

Is this "normal" with someone with dementia, to gradually get worse as they go through the day. It's like a normal person who gets tired by evenning but someone with dementia it does the opposite making them more energetic, inclined to wander and needing attention and supervision. Mum was on Zimovane Zopiclone but stopped giving her it as made matters worse, making her more confused an disorientated than before. Any advice what maybe should be on as an alternative to Zopilcone to ease night time problems with her.

Not really asking for advice as all carers on TP looking after someone with dementia probably have the same problems trying to get the person caring for to settle down in an evening, but how do others cope with this problem? I go through everything with my mum in an evening ... constantly asking for my attention, repeating the same questions, wandering, and constantly knocking for me in her bedrooom to get me to go in to see to her which irritates most of all listening to this through an evening. And of course forever stumbling and moving around in her bedroom during a night often resulting in her falling.

When in a day able to communicate with her ask her not to cause me problems in an evening as I also want a break and rest but by five o'clock, the "witching hour" all starts again and all what I've said, fallen on deaf hears. The thing is, beginning to take its toll, every evening on edge waiting for the whole thing to start knowing likely to have to deal with all the different things associated with someone with dementia have during a night with them.

Mum goes into respite care this weekend for a week to stay with my step-father already has AD at the care home at and really not looking forward to her coming home again after a week's peace from dealing with her dementia.

Keith.

 

[Grannie G]

This sounds like another case of sundowning. It has occasionally happened with my husband for an extended period but luckily he sleeps all night, most nights.

With him it can start in the early afternoon, round about 2pm. and can continue until 7 or 8pm.

I don`t know how `normal` it is but i do know it`s extremely wearing. No doctor has been able to give me any explanation. I have tried in vain to relate it to certain links, food/medication/tiredness, all in vain. Perhaps tiredness is the only probable.

If you do try to get advice from your mother`s doctor, I`d be very interested to hear it.

 

[amberence]

Have a review with the doctor regarding mum's medication the week after her respite care, when she comes home. But the GP unable to prescribe anything to fully control her dementia in a an evening till consulted the Hospital Consultant who is against any medication long-term and rather prefers having support staff and SS dealing with the problem.

Keith

 

[Grannie G]

Hello Keith

MY husband is taking an anti-depressant Trazodone. It is also a mild sedative.

The consultant prescribed him a small morning dose to try to reduce his anxiety during the daytime, but the effect seems to be wearing off as he has just gone out now, intending to `go home`.

I don`t know if you have read any of the AS Factsheets on sundowning but this link may help you.

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/google_results.php?q=sundowning&btnG=Search

 

[amberence]

Hi again. Thanks for the replies to my post regarding night problems with mum. Have to admit never heard of the term sundowning before but after reading various fact sheets on the web would say that is what's happening with mum, all the symptoms of sundowning applying to her.

Seems when take her out of her natural environment being in all day and take her to her bed, in her own bedroom all night the problems begin. Sometimes asks to go to bed early, seven/eight o'clock time if feeling tired and wants to rest and stretch her legs and feet having arthritis but on going to bed her dementia takes over and becomes a different person to the one known all day, being downstairs with.

Today being easy, quite calm and relaxed and able to leave her to spend one half hours outside tending to the garden. Came back in to see to tea which had and still calm but this is because she's tired after up all night with her dementia ... mixed up and confused, and at one stage thought someone trying to get in through the bedroom window. This is normal sometimes after a difficult night for the following day to be a little more quieter and probably evening included. Expect tomorrow to return to "normal" again for to have another difficult night.

Thanks for the advice on sundowning which I believe mum probably suffers from in a evening after reading the fact sheets on the problem.

Keith.

 

[Margarita]

rather prefers having support staff and SS dealing with the problem.

They where the only people that could help me when that was happing with my mother .

I found taking her out during the day did help her sleep better at night time , but still would be very unsettle during the night knocking on my door in wried hours of the night or just oping my bedroom door walking in Just standing they looking at me, wanting to sleep in my bed . some nights I would wake up she be setting at the end of my bed, other times she wake me up from making a noise in the kitchen wanting her breakfast

So Social services step in come up with getting mum a place at the AZ day Centre , that help me cope as it gave me a break during the day . Then I found out that my mother had some fear of sleeping in a room on her own so I put a TV in her room left it on all night.

Over time she did settle, but like you when mum went into respite I dreaded when she got back , because of the change of environment made it very difficult for me to settle her back in to my environment .

when she went for 2 week it seem much better , because they seem to get her into a routine of sleeping so she came back with they routine of sleeping in her system. but that took my mother 8 weeks spread over a year of going into respite to get to that point .

Now 2 years on of going into respite she much better when she gets back from respite , her sleep patten is not mess up , but she still needs the TV on all night in her room

 

[amberence]

Hi Margarita. I think this what the GP meant when said prescribing medication not the answer more for the Consultant and SS, for them to deal with. When last spoke to the GP about mum's review asked me to keep a data, days and times her dementia at its worse, reaches a peak. So wondering if the doctor thinking of sundowning, being the problem with mum when asked to keep a log and diary for the review regarding her dementia getting worse.

Keith.

 

[Ditto]

Dear Keith

I'm so sorry that you have had to start dealing with night wanderings too. Its not an easy task so you need to make a plan to get some quality rest regularly otherwise you'l burn out.

My patient started this too recently but I just called the Doc and asked him to prescribe sleeping pills. Unfortunately most sleeping pills do the opposite with these disorders, but he prescribed Z-dorm and touch wood, its worked reasonably well so far.

Good luck and enjoy your weeks respite.

Ditto