BEHAVIOURAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THE CASE OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: PROBLEMS AT NIGHT

Those suffering from a dementing illness may well disturb other people’s sleep. Sometimes it is because they have a tendency to wander; sometimes they are disorientated and think that it is time to get up; sometimes they are frightened at night. Often, having gone to the bathroom they are unable to find their way back to the bedroom or have their attention diverted to something else with which they then become involved.

Many people with dementia are less active than they used to be during the daytime and may take more daytime naps than before. Try to make sure that they get adequate physical and mental activity during the day, to help promote sleep. It is also a good idea to try to ensure that they go the bathroom last thing before going to bed; restricting fluids during the evening, say after supper if this does not cause distress, can also help. Leaving a light on in the bathroom and having a low-wattage bulb on the landing can assist a confused person in getting around at night.

The bed needs to be comfortable and some relatives find that continental quilts are easier for a person with dementia to manage than blankets and sheets. It is probably best not to use cot-sides as they rarely manage to deter a wanderer and can be irritating. Sometimes, however, they can be helpful in preventing a person from falling out of bed if this is a problem.

If sufferers decide to get dressed and you have difficulty dissuading them, don’t worry — let them get on with it. They may well be prepared to go back to bed, even though fully clothed. Sometimes a warm drink works as it is often associated with the going-to-bed routine.

Finally, there are two important points. First, if wandering at night is a real problem, make sure there are no hazards to safety, like gas taps that could be turned on. Secondly, a step that can be taken is to ask the doctor to prescribe some sleeping medicines. These should be avoided except as a last resort and should only be tried for a few weeks at a time. Sometimes it can be left to the carer’s discretion to administer them intermittently, perhaps after having had two or three bad nights in a row. All medicines have side-effects and you must ask the doctor what to watch out for if they were to affect the person you are looking after.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 at 4:16 am and is filed under General Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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