3 Ideas to Help a Senior Loved One Handle Sundowning

What exactly is sundowning?

If you have a senior loved one with Alzheimer's disease, your loved one's doctor might have mentioned the term "sundowning" when describing their symptoms. Sundowning - or Sundowners Syndrome - is a common symptom of Alzheimer's disease or dementia that causes increased agitation, confusion, and restlessness as the sun starts to go down. If your loved one already exhibits these symptoms as a factor of their Alzheimer's disease, then sundowning may cause them to worsen instead.

Sundowners Syndrome is even more rough for caregivers who care for their loved ones at home because the evening is when caregivers are tired and ready for a break. What can make matters worse is that sometimes sundowning can last into the night, causing these seniors to have trouble falling asleep and staying in bed.

That makes it especially tough for caregivers. At night, when caregivers need all of the rest and sleep that they can get, having their loved ones up and restless and unable to sleep can disrupt their rest and weaken them during the day when they need to be at their peak.

What can I do to help?

1.) Keep calm.

However, there are a couple of ways that you can help your loved one - and yourself - with sundowning. The first thing to remember is that you must remember to keep calm and level-headed. The hardest thing to keep a handle on when dealing with certain memory and cognitive issues are that your loved one has absolutely zero control over all of this. They don't mean to be frustrating or irritable; it's simply a symptom of their disease. Arguing and snapping at your senior won't do anything but make you both miserable.

2.) Keep idle hands busy.

Another thing to help combat sundowning is having something on hand to keep your senior busy. An easy game like solitaire, a monotonous craft like crocheting, or even an easy and repetitive chore like folding socks or towels can help your seniors calm themselves down. Once they've begun to calm, it's possible to try to get them into bed again and get some rest.

3.) Create a calming environment.

When it's time for bed, create a calm and soothing environment. Play some gentle music, keep the room cool, and maybe even use some aromatherapy scents to give the calmest experience possible for your loved one. Making the room feel like a spa can help to keep your loved one calm and in a bedtime state of mind, making the possibility of sleep come easier.

How Bayshire Carlsbad can help

But don't forget: it's important for you to take a break. Your health and well-being as a caregiver are just as important as the health of your loved one. While it's a difficult decision to make, don't completely discount the possibility that it might be better to have the assistance of memory care services. Here at Bayshire Carlsbad, our skilled nursing staff that's on-site and available 24/7 can help you ease your mind about if your loved one is getting the care they need. Even if they're up at night due to sundowning, we'll be up with them.

If you're looking for a helping hand, come take a tour of our memory care services facility and see if we're right for you.

Bayshire Carlsbad is an exceptional senior living community located in Carlsbad. We provide different levels of care to our residents and set a new standard of living under one location.