Sundowning Syndrome Can Be Challenging For Caregivers
Posted on: 12 February 2015
Caring for your aging parents or grandparents can be tough, especially when dementia becomes an issue. As a caregiver, watching your loved one's mind diminish can be heart breaking and stressful. Some aspects of dementia like sundowning syndrome can cause remarkable memory loss and odd behavior, leaving only remnants of familiarities behind in an elderly mind. Sundowning describes odd behavior in people suffering with memory loss from Alzheimer's disease or dementia, typically affecting sufferers only during the evening hours near bedtime.
Time Of Day And Circadian Rhythms
When each day to an end and evening turns into night, most people have a routine they follow to prepare for relaxing and bedtime. Your elderly loved one, even though dementia or Alzheimer's disease has taken away many of their memories, may still retain the urgency imposed by their normal daily routines. The way the body and mind is governed by night and day hours is called circadian rhythm, the 'rhythm' being the urgency each person feels at the end of each day, even if they unaware of it, to prepare for night time. When an elderly person begins fidgeting or becomes irritable towards the end of each day, you are seeing the symptoms of sundowning.
Elderly Persons Experiencing Sundowning Need An Outlet
Sundowning causes an elderly person to become frustrated because they are unsure of what they are being pulled to do, almost as if it is an instinct they are trying to figure out over and over again every day. Providing tasks for your elderly loved one at the start of each evening can help a lot to soothe the urgency created by ingrained circadian rhythm. For example, if you are caring for your elderly mother, consider the tasks she did every evening, like preparing dinner for her family. Giving her a task related to cooking that is safe is a great way to soothe her innate urgency to prepare dinner, despite the fact she may not recall making dinner at all.
Keeping Your Elderly Loved Active
If your loved one is bed ridden, taking the time to manually move their legs and arms in motion provides muscle action that promotes resting at night. If you have senior care services (such as ComForcare Home Care - Venice, FL) coming out to your home, asking your nurse or aide about exercise and its effect on reducing the agitation and irritability of sundowning is a good idea. You might also consider the hobbies your loved one used to enjoy the most. Allowing that person to enjoy his or her favorite hobby or parts of it that are safe can provide soothing comfort and familiarity.
The responsibility of being a caregiver is heavy, but when your elderly loved one does not remember you or other family members, it can be harder to bear. Handling someone you love that does not remember their identity or yours can be challenging. If you are living with your elderly loved one, always remember to take breaks and to take the time necessary for you to remain healthy and content with your responsibilities as a caregiver.
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