This is the dementia itself kicking in. My father would talk to people who were not there as well. He would also talk in the mirror like his reflection was a separate human being. I had those plastic shrink bags stored under the bed--the kind that hold blankets and towels--he stabbed holes in them because he insisted they were full of water--then insisted that the water was flowing into his room. Sundowners is a term used for when night falls, and the person with dementia just becomes more agitated and active, Hallucinating is, unfortunately, directly related to the dementia itself. In my personal experience, no matter how outrageous the situation, you cannot reason with them that they are not seeing what they believe they are seeing. This did not happen only at night--this went on all the time.

My mom is in severe dimentia but I don't know if all of her problem is the dimentia or if she has some sundowners. She has seen monkeys in my garage, I have caught her in the living room talking and laughing to friends and family members that are not there. She has seen millions and millions of bugs coming out of the ceiling and water coming out of the walls, the list just goes on and on. It happens at night in the daytime. Can you get sundowners during the day?

Oh, and my mom always gets a pain in the lower back of her head just before the sundowners behavior starts.

My mom's sundowners seems to be out of fear. She gets worried towards the end of the day that she forgot to take care of this or that. We keep trying to reassure her that WE are taking care of things now, but what we think happened is that she got dementia and we didn't know. She had continued to try to take care of my dad, the bills, feeding, meds, etc. We have no idea how long she managed like that!
Now, its hard for her to let go and has to know if its daytime or nighttime, she even calls people and asks them if its day or night.
I am almost positive that is what causes her sundowners. As she is letting go of things morem she is getting better.
My dad never got sundowners 'cuz he never had the night responsiblities that my mom had.

well, we're back...i was looking for info on sundowning, because that was the excuse everyone was giving me....at 2:30am Sunday morning, she crashed and went to the ER! She had C02 poisoning...she wasn't breathing right and that's why she was sleeping so much! She was laying in there and suffocating! Too add insult to injury, all the ER doc wanted to do was vent her!

Thank God there was a shift change, and the new doctor LISTENED to me, utilized the Bi-Pap machine, and we got her back into do-able levels.

If your family member starts snoozing too much...ASK FOR BLOOD GASSES!!

Just got done moving her back to the carehome...and she is avidly seeking to get walking. OH OH OH....the Pharmacist at the hospital heard what happened and made a point of telling me that 80 % of elderly women that break their hips? DIE within 6 months! what a JACKASS!!

Sometimes, I tell you, this just gets nuts!

My father passed away in December as some of you know. Every now and then an e-mail shows up with an old thread. I read this this morning and I have to comment re: Nanstill's comment. My father was EXTREMELY paranoid when the dementia kicked in full force. I still feel bad because the last time I took him up to his own home for a visit, he flipped out and claimed that there were prisoners in his living room and why would I allow such a thing to happen? For the life of me, I don't know what brought this on. I remember hanging some curtains on the porch and leaving him in front of the TV. Maybe something like "Prison Break" was on? And he brought that into his own reality.. He fully refused to eat when we had him in respite care for the second time (where he passed away after only a week's stay). He stated that "everyone was trying to poison him" I still think this had a large part to do with why he suddenly passed--he would not eat or allow anyone to feed him. Then of course the usual "stealing from me" paranoia. He would constantly go through his wallet--rearrange everything, then accuse someone else of doing it to mess with him. Unfortunately, this seems to be a "normal" pattern in dementia. I imagine they--deep down--know that something is wrong (even though they would never admit it) and that is a fearful response of trying to deal with their thoughts. Anyway--had to give my two cents in letting you know you are not alone. It's been a little over 5 months now and I really miss him. We were always close, but the last year was something I wish I could just forget..

My mother claims someone comes in room and steals her jewelry at the ALF where she is, but "she always returns it" according to Mom. This only happens during the night according to her. Sometimes she is paranoid that she will be killed by this woman who steals things.

She had a delusion prior to moving to the ALF also thinking "kids" were climbing over patio fence and moving her furniture around.

Delusions seem to be a part of this dementia.

we are week one in a rehab unit of a nursing home. Mom has taken to sleeping all day, and becoming agitated in the nightime. We cannot make her wake up and she receives no tranquilizing agents in the day hours. She broke her hip 3 weeks ago, and the surgeon says he expected to see her walk into the ortho clinic...she can barely stand. She is 100% health wise but continues to waste away in her bed. What can we do?

My mother-in-law (97) was having similar hallucinations and was diagnosed with dementia. They got better when her medications were changed and a UTI were treated. She does have some cardio vascular dementia, but it has improved dramatically. Now she mostly has memory problems.
You might investigate those possibilities

I believe my loved ones suffer from what I call: "All-the-Timer's," including Alzheimer's and Dementia, and/or other cognitive and mental health issues. We are caring for three elders that fall into this and that category. All three of them "mix reality & fantasy," and we have also dealt with kitty cats and ants. All three hallucinate, and each does worse when tired. (Who doesn't?) Hard to label it, but each of us caregivers, in our own ways, experience it.

My retirement plan includes a last-run helicopter ski on some fresh white pow pow. Until then, you'll find me at the beach!

There is growing evidence that "Sundowners" is really not a syndrome -- or even a good name for the real issue. The real issue is that families have significant activities that happen in the hours before sunset -- such as children getting home, parents leaving to run errands, dinner being made, homework being done, the second spouse returning home, the rush to get things done, etc. With all this "busy-ness" at a tempo greater than what happened during the earlier hours of the day, etc., it is no wonder that a person who is cognitively impaired begins to feel unsafe, insecure, fearful of the unknown. Couple that with darkness of the night setting in and a person's desire to be "at home" in a safe and familiar place at night (realizing that many adult childrens' homes do not look familiar to a person with cognitive impairment) -- of course, unwanted behaviors are likely to begin.

So, what do we do about this? It would be a great start to keep the events "low key" and try to shield the person with cognitive deficits from all of the hustle and bustle. Stick to a routine. Turn up the house lights in all rooms. Close the blinds and curtains. Keep the rooms light and bright. Have some MEANINGFUL and typical activities prepared for your aging parent to do during this time. Remember to plan several, in case the first one or two activities are not of interest to him/her. You might be surprised by the positive results! If you need more ideas, let me know!

Medication only sedated my mother ( 91 years old) with Sundowners. She was not eating, drinking or socializing. I had her taken off Laxapro. I researched and she is now taking Serelax that is all natural herbs. She is doing better.
Tennessee

Has anyone ever heard of a person experiencing Sundowner's throughout a whole lifetime? As a child I felt it was my responsibility to stay awake all night to protect my parents and my sisters by listening for possible intruders entering the house. However most nights, by about 3 AM I would usually fall asleep from exhaustion. I never told my parents what I did - I knew they would have said I was being silly (which I was but I couldn't seem to help it). Still today, I find it very hard to settle down at night. I always thought it was just because I was a "night person" but now I am wondering if I have always been experiencing Sundowner's Syndrome due to some "faulty wiring" in my system. Can anyone out there enlighten me?

JenJilks, you made me laugh when you mentioned the raft in the middle of the lake and the bottles of wine. My sister says for her it will be going out into a blizzard with a bottle of Bailey's :-)

I think it is our opportunity to go into another world. Like play-acting with kids. I remember doing dress-ups with my kids, and doing it as a child. (I have the photos on Facebook!)

It is a shocking reversal of role: from child => adult child => caregiver, but we are the only ones that can do this. No one understood my Dad: physicians, caregivers in LTC, nurses, but I saw him almost every day. I have told me daughter at the first sign of dementia to put me on the raft in the middle of the lake with a couple of bottles of wine!

Make sure you write in a journal: write about your feelings and experiences. It really, really helps. I did a paper on autobiographical writing.

It's relieving to see that I'm not alone here. My dad is starting to do the same thing. He mixes fantasy with reality. We had the stereo in our living room coming on automatically during the day for awhile. Even though it is not turned up high apparently it bothered him to the point that one day he said that "someone comes in the house everyday and beats on a drum" he even went as far as to say he actually saw them doing it. About a week later, he also swore that "someone was in the house with a gun". It doesn't happen a lot, but when it does, it frightening to everyone. He doesn't even LOOK the same. He appears blank and "not there". After the "episode" is over, he then denies that anything ever happened.

I think dad's hallucinations were part of the deterioration of his brain. Or, the polypharmacy he was facing.

While there is an inundation of web sites and guidance regarding how to prevent dementia, at some point a lot of what we are seeing in terms of behaviour is a reaction to drugs, treatments, plaque, cholesterol, lack of exercise...as they attempt to deal with their realities.

I think, too, that for some it is a psychological coping mechanism. Why deal with reality when you have lost your home, spouse, purpose in life, friends, etc.?

With Alzheimer's the chat rooms say to play along. You cannot convince them otherwise. My dad's tumour was in the area of language, and he could not retrieve nouns. He phoned one night, in the wee hours as he had insomnia, to tell us that 'the bandaids in the jar are gone' (the candies I had put in a can) and then the 'fire in the oven has gone out' (the TV wasn't working - we had a hurricane and power outage!).

We promised to take care of it in the morning, used soothing language, and soothing words. That seemed to work. We were beyond diagnoses and just dealt with his reality. It helped.

JenJilks-What was the cause of your dads hallucinations? You've been such a big help, I used to keep telling her no one is upstairs, no one is on the roof, water isn't running, etc. and she would just get mad, so maybe if I try to be more understanding and go and check upstairs for her and the basement, it might ease some of her fears. Thanks so much (and excuse my typos in the last message, I was in a hurry).

I commend you for taking palliative care training and volunteering, God bless you in your endeavors and thanks for your input. Mari

OMG, leaking gasses, That is a hoot. I had a bipolar friend who had a break down and the parents tried to blame a bucket of floor cleaner - fumes.

Hallucinations are a good predictor of many issues. My dad used to talk to his dog, that was living with another family as we couldn't care for her!
My husband was the best at calming him. You have to let them know you believe them and are working at resolving the problem!

I recall my kids going down to the play room in the basement with pots and spoons. We would chant, "Go away ghosters!" and all would be well. I figure you just have to play along. If it is dementia you haven't a hope in hell of curing or ameliorating it!

My parents both passed away. I learned so much. I am going to be taking palliative care training and volunteering. I volunteer for our Victim Services response team, too.

Be strong. Be tough. Blessings...deep breath.

JenJilks-thanks for your input. My mom's pcp said to have the furnace and the sewer lines checked, he seemed to think that leaking radon or sewer gases might be causing her to "see and hear" things. she always things that she hears water running in the basement, and now people are actually in the house getting in through a second floor window.

I apprciate all of you sharing what problems you have with your parents, so many are just like my mothers, its nice to be able to talk to people who understand. My brother is in denial and my husband gets tired of hearing about it. Thanks and God bless all of you. Mari

My theory is that it is a combination of various issues. The most important is that at the end of the day is the time when families get together, you finish your day, and you can breathe a sigh of relief. Every day is the same for many who are alone or ill.

It is important to rule out delirium, vs. dementia or other organic issues and determine if there are biological, chemical, social or other solutions. It is much like parenting!
"Pediatric or geriatrics - the only difference is body mass!" - to quote a friend of mine, as printed in my book on Death & Dying!

thanks so much for your input on my mother's problems, it does sound more and more like dementia. When I take her to her cardiologist next month I'll tell him about it, in the meantime we have to get a new pcp. thanks everyone and I'll be praying for you and your ill family members. Mari

My mother does the same thing, but usually only at night. She has kittens running around in her room, sees people in a truck outside the house in the middle of the street, and said my sister came over at 3am and had been in the ER all night and she needed to take her to the doctor at 8am. My mother hasn't driven in over 4 years. During the day she see ants, holes in the floor where light is coming through (we live in a concrete slab house) and hears phones ringing ALL the time. It is just her demenita and sundowners working. I just agree and attempt to make her believe the problem has been corrected. Good luck and bless you!

Hi Mari,
My Dad did the same thing. He was seeing people in the courtyard of his building installing oil pipes. This same hallucination was sustained for months- with the story getting more and more elaborate over time. With my Dad it is the result of worsening dementia and, related to his dementia, a decreasing ability to process visual signals. He has become legally blind due to the effect of dementia on the visual processing center of his brain. I think that, in the absence of seeing real things, he either completely creates a story, or interprets the very little bit he can see in a spectacular way!
I would guess with your Mom that what is going on are dementia related halllucinations. I would have her evaluated by her family doctor and gerontologist to figure out what is going on-sooner rather than later.
Good luck.
Claire

Hi All--What I thought might be sundowners doesn't seem to be, my mother now says that she sees people on the roof tops on the houses across the alley, she says they're taking the shingles off, and then they go inside and remove the copper pipes. could this be a problem with her eyes or dementia, she sees these things in broad daylight thats why I question sundowners, any thoughts? thanks!

My mother has been having "dreams" but she says shes awake, maybe she is, anyway she sees people in her room,animals, people that are ghost like and glide through a closed door or window, kids poking sticks through the floor and into her matress while she sleeps. Are these signs of dementia or could they be caused by a lack of oxygen to her brain from a heart condition?