Elder Care Pacific Beach CA
Being able to overcome the shock of such a diagnosis and come to terms with your responsibilities as a caregiver for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia starts with educating yourself. By being aware of the realities of the condition, you empower yourself to develop an elder care plan specifically designed to give your aging parents the highest quality of life possible while addressing their challenges.
One of the issues related to dementia that you should educate yourself on in order to be a compassionate, effective, and loving caregiver for seniors with this condition is sundowners. This condition tends to occur in seniors with moderate to advanced Alzheimer’s, but can start to appear earlier in the disease depending on the person. It is characterized by personality and behavioral changes timed with the onset of evening and can present a host of additional challenges when designing a care approach for these seniors.
Some of the signs of sundowners include:
- Sudden mood changes
- Agitation
- Depression
- Rocking
- Anger
- Wandering
- Pacing
- Stubbornness
- Pacing
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Hiding things
- Hallucinations
- Aggression
- Confusion
- Violent outbursts
If your aging loved ones are exhibiting these behaviors in the evening and at night, they are likely suffering from sundowners. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can incorporate managing these reactions into your usual elder care plan.
Try these tips, and share them with your parents’ elderly health care services provider, to help your parents cope with their sundowning:
- Encourage exercise during the day to get their blood flowing and support a more relaxed, calming evening
- Turn lights in the house on early in the day so that the transition from sunlight to darkness is less jarring
- Get your parents involved in an enjoyable activity in the afternoon and carry it into the evening to distract them and produce beneficial, happy thought patterns
- Design a “safe space” in one room that features bright, consistent lighting, soothing colors, and relaxing music. This will act as your parents’ refuge if they start to get nervous or upset
- Accompany a senior who tends to wander or pace at night so that he does not feel alone and you can feel confident he is safe and secure. If your parent exhibits this behavior frequently, it may be time to consider hiring an elderly health care services provider for the nighttime so that you can get the rest you need while still knowing your parents are safe.
For more information about how the caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable elder care in Pacific Beach, CA, and the surrounding communities.
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