My Mum has Alzheimers and 3 weeks ago moved into residential care. For some time she has been confused about time, days and whether it is day or night. When living at home we tried special clocks, and repeatedly reinforcing that if dark outside it is night and therefore time to sleep. She has always been an early riser (around 7 am) and more latterly was going to bed around 6pm feeling very tired. She would often wake during the night, go to the loo, make tea and started making phone calls & getting dressed in the early hours.
At the care home she has settled in pretty well during the day, they have tried getting her to stay up a bit later but after 6pm she insists she goes to bed as she is exhausted. She is then very unsettled through the night, getting up and dressed, wanders the corridors and sometimes bangs on other resident's doors & even tried getting into someone's bed (whilst they were in it!). In the morning she does not remember this & says she has slept well. The Manager says they are used to wandering but I am worried her behaviour may result in her not being able to stay there.
Has anyone been through this and any ideas what we could implement to get her to stay in her room (she has her own bathroom). I wondered about making a poster with sun on one side, stars & moon on the other to hang on her door to denote day & night & explain she must stay inside unless the sun shows. I don't know if she would comprehend this though.
Her GP has been called in and prescribed rispiridone a week ago, I am led to believe it may take a while to work.
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.
At the care home she has settled in pretty well during the day, they have tried getting her to stay up a bit later but after 6pm she insists she goes to bed as she is exhausted. She is then very unsettled through the night, getting up and dressed, wanders the corridors and sometimes bangs on other resident's doors & even tried getting into someone's bed (whilst they were in it!). In the morning she does not remember this & says she has slept well. The Manager says they are used to wandering but I am worried her behaviour may result in her not being able to stay there.
Has anyone been through this and any ideas what we could implement to get her to stay in her room (she has her own bathroom). I wondered about making a poster with sun on one side, stars & moon on the other to hang on her door to denote day & night & explain she must stay inside unless the sun shows. I don't know if she would comprehend this though.
Her GP has been called in and prescribed rispiridone a week ago, I am led to believe it may take a while to work.
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.