has anyone got any advice for me please xx

[Rachell]

Hi,

I am a carer for my Grandad, he has alzheimers and doesnt sleep hardly at all which means i dont sleep much either, he is on zipiclone - sleepin pills, not sure of the spelling (dont have them with me) the doctors wont up his dose as they say they cant, but he doesnt sleep he gets up and wonders around every night i get up to him mostly cos he is in the bathroom shaving! and i have to send him back to bed.. i thought about taking his shaving stuff off him but that wont do any good he will wake up and go looking for them..

i dont know what to do anymore.. im tired..

anyone else having the same trouble?

Also,

he has been put on tablets for his alzheimers, and even though i have noticed a difference its worse for me (hope that doesnt sound too bad) he remembers more but either gets it all wrong and i have to tell him time and time again, or he wont stop going on about it.. where as before he was on them within a couple of hours he would totally forget stuff,

i know how bad that sounds i shouldnt be complaining but i dont know what to do.. i cant ask them to stop his meds jus cos i am finding it tough.. i dont know !

Thanks xx

 

[TinaT]

Why not ask the doctor for something in addition to his sleeping pills to 'dampen' down his night time activity? There are other 'sedative' type drugs available which can be used with sleeping pills. I doubt that his alzheimer tablets are causing him to talk more. It is probably a progression of his illness causing the repeated conversations.

Is there anyone else living in the house as well as yourself and grandad? You shouldn't be doing all the night time caring.

I'm not sure of the size of your house but I know in my small house, if anyone gets up during the night, it always wakens me up. I use the wax type of ear plugs to keep the noise level down and sometimes I put the radio on and fall asleep to the low sound of the radio. Somehow the continual radio noise doesn't waken me up as much as an occasional noise.

If grandad isn't harming himself, then perhaps it is best to let him do his little shaving routine. It may settle him down for bed again.

Not much help - sorry.

xxTinaT

 

[Brymar]

Hi Rachel,

I had that problem with Mary. Ask your GP about Nitrazepam they
work for me/Mary and only require a very small dose.

I had to cut Mary's tablet in half otherwise she fell asleep just where she was in the living room and I ended up carrying her to bed!

I now give them to her when she is in bed and only when required which thankfully they are not at the moment.

Regards
Bryan

 

[Helen33]

Hello Rachell,

We have been discussing on Talking Point how important it is that carers are properly supported - whether that is carers working in a care home or whether it means us caring at home.
From your post it sounded like you are very much alone and I wonder whether that is the case?

Having continual disturbed nights is quite a serious matter and I feel you ought to have the support of a good team around you. Perhaps it's time for a review of the situation and you require a carers assessment? Perhaps you could consider getting in touch with the Social Worker (if you don't have one, then you could get one) and request a carers assessment and a re-assessment of your grandfather's night time care needs. You could also request to see a Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) who may be able to help with regard to dealing with the medication side of things. I would imagine you would benefit from support because drowsiness could increase the risk of falls and you may need safety measures reviewed.

I hope that you find Talking Point a support and I will look forward to hearing how you get on.

Love and best wishes

 

[Brymar]

Hello again,
Helen is so right. Just remember, if you are not sleeping for whatever reason then really you cannot be 100% when in your capacity of carer.

I am very lucky, whenever I have to call our GP for Mary, he always without fail takes me to one side and asks "and how are you doing"

Just to be asked the question brightens my day.

Regards
Bryan

 

[parmit]

we had the same problem with mum not sleeping. We think it start long before she moved in with us in October. After she moved in with us we tried Zopiclone and Nitrazepam, both with no avail. She was then prescribed Haloperidol, which to us is a miracle drug. She goes to bed about 7.00pm and stays in her room until about 6.45am. Whether she sleeps that long or not we are not sure, but at least we can get some sleep.