What Can You Do if Your Senior Has Dementia and Trouble Sleeping?
Dementia creates a variety of complications for your senior. One that you might not realize is that dementia can affect how well your senior is able to sleep at night. These tips can help.
Home Health Care in Chadds Ford PA: Dementia and Trouble Sleeping
Dementia: Set up a Sleep and Wake Schedule
Having a stable sleeping and waking schedule is crucial for everyone, but it can be absolutely a game-changer for a senior with dementia. Going to sleep consistently at the same time helps her to formulate a routine that she can come to expect and to rely on. Her body can start to get used to waking up and going to bed at the same time, and that makes many aspects of her life easier.
Dementia: Start Using a Bedtime Routine
One way to help ease your senior into a consistent bedtime schedule is to start using a bedtime routine. This might involve turning down the TV or turning it off and switching to sounds like soft music or white noise. Experiment to find what helps your senior to wind down and ease into sleep. Ideally, her bedtime routine should be calm, soothing, and lead to her getting in bed by her planned bedtime.
Dementia: Avoid Caffeine Past Noon
Caffeine can create havoc to the best plans your senior has for getting better sleep. Start paying attention to when she’s ingesting caffeine. The later in the day that she’s caffeinating herself, the harder it will be for her to fight its effects overnight. This can cause her to oversleep in the morning, throwing her entire routine off.
Dementia: Talk to Her Doctor about Exercise
Something else to consider is exercise, even if it’s incredibly gentle exercise. Movement helps your senior’s muscles and it helps to release chemicals that help her to get the rest that she needs. Always make sure to clear exercise with your senior’s doctor first.
Dementia: Look at How Her Daily Schedule Impacts Her Ability to Sleep
When your senior does certain activities during the day can also affect her ability to sleep. If she’s doing things in the afternoon that are difficult and that takes more energy, she may be too wound up to sleep well. It might be worth going through her daily activities and seeing which ones would be better earlier in the day and which would be more restful, and therefore better for later in the day.
It can be tough to figure out the best ways to support your senior in sleeping better, especially if she has dementia. Working with home care providers can help so very much, especially if you’re not able to be there with your elderly family member.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Chadds Ford PA, please contact the friendly staff at Suma Home Care.
Call today: (484) 206-4544
Ibrahim recently completed a Professional Certificate in Management; He is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administrations (MBA) at a prestigious university in the UK.
With their passion for helping others and a strong background in customer services and clinical care, Ibrahim and his wife started assisting individuals in their homes.
Since started and operating Suma Home Care in 2010 in the basement of their home, Suma Home Care has provided professionals who work endlessly in providing clients with the highest quality of care, while enabling clients to maintain dignity, comfort and safety in their homes.
Suma Home Care, serves four counties in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia. Ibrahim is firmly connected to his local community and is always looking for ways to give back whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Ibrahim enjoys spending time with his wife and children, travelling and enjoys sports.
Mariama Suma-Keita BSN RN
Born in Sierra Leone west Africa, relocated to America in 1999 from a civil war and settled since in the U.S.A as a Naturalized citizen Graduated from National school of nursing with an associate , and completed BSN in Nursing from Immaculata University graduated with Honor roll Alpha Lambda sigma, After escaping the war served as a refugee nurse in Gambia and Guinea to other displaced refugees before coming to America.
In the states started in Homecare then then transition into hospital, worked in Jefferson hospital as a Registered nurse on Tele and general medsurg floor, also worked in Einstein hospital as an oncology transplant nurse , I realized that I enjoy working with patients so much and believe in quality and compassionate care one at a time dealing with an holistic approach in caring for patients and family in a familiar environment called home , I see the impact and progress when they’re home , it makes them feel relax and progress fast with recovering at home. As a nurse and entrepreneur I understand that dedication to meeting people and families needs is a priority, and able to foster relationships with family and patients that is professional and friendly to help them stay and settled home as a desire.
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