Thank you for sharing this important information about sundowning and tips for family caregivers.
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My mom, who lived on her own for a long time after my father passed began to see my father outside, taking the train with a number of people lined up to take it also. She called my husband and I at 3:00 a.m., saying that their was a woman sitting on her dresser laughing at her and it frightened her. Calls to the police stating that someone was in the apartment, children coming down from the ceiling had us convincing her PA that she needed more than Benadryl to sleep. (He was not convinced that Dementia was setting in). Finally, I had enough of the running over to mom at all hours, and just the feeling that it was not safe to leave her alone, she was diagnosed with sundowners dementia. We tried having mom live with us for a while, but I was physically and emotionally worn out. With a guilty and heavy heart, we put mom in a wonderful and safe environment. I do think that each staff member must learn the complex nature of sundowners and see that it is unique to each person.
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Anonymous 753149,
So very sorry about your mother's behavior. My 88 years mother is doing the same exact thing... and all her doors are locked too. She sees things from children lining up in her back yard and dancing to bears on her deck and dinosaurs, horses, dogs, clowns, etc. in the trees. She, too, insists on living in her own home in spite of my numerous requests for her to live with me. Trying to explain that these things were not real was a waste of time. Finally, I asked her if the dancing children were scaring her. She said no, so I told her to lean back, have a cup of coffee and enjoy the show! At least that made her laugh - which was refreshing to hear. I did tell her, however, that if any of these things began to frighten or scare her then she would have no choice but to move into my house. She has always been very independent so I do not foresee that happening. She only lives 15 minutes from me and I talk to her every day. If she doesn't answer the phone in 20 minutes, I go over there. One day, I know that I will make that trip and find that she has left to be with her parents and my dad. So, I just make the best of the time we have left and try to make her laugh... that is the part of my mother I always want to remember. Good luck to you in this horrible journey.
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My 37 yr old son has a mental dual dx . He suffers from this condition of sundowning. Where can i go for more answers
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I wish I had found these conversations a year ago. I could have used a bit of moral support. Being sole caregiver 24/7 for my beautiful mother was the hardest, most exhausting thing I have ever done, because I loved her so much. The final brutal month nearly took me down right along with her. She was a lovely woman and my best friend for 75 years. I promise you, friends, when your loved one is gone, you will NEVER regret for one minute the love and long hours you gave. Believe that!
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Really good article. Wish I had it a year ago. Good suggestions.
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This is the reason my screen name is "up all night"! It was horrible for me being a caregiver and working too. Being a caregiver is over for me now. This article bring back and make me remember the tough times.
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We used light therapy, which helps regulate the production of melatonin. We got full-spectrum light bulbs from a neighborhood store and installed those in the lamps in the house. We turned them on during the day and turned them off in the evening. We found that light therapy helped tremendously. The only issue we had is with caregivers. They didn't understand the importance of having the light on during the day and would turn the lights off when they should have been on. In fact, I kind of think they preferred the elderly to sleep while they were there. Putting together a bullet-point list of instructions for caregivers and then going through the list with them helped.
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My Mother about to turn 94 years of age suns up and not down. My afternoon to night is better. Mornings are terrible.
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Something not mentioned here is OCD - obsessive compulsive disorder. Our mother, who lived alone, started this initially a few nights/week, with a few iterations. Eventually this became a nightly marathon, starting anywhere between 830-930 pm and running for an hour to an hour and a half EVERY NIGHT:
Check door lock
Check side lights
Enter kitchen (beyond camera range) and turn on then off light
Enter LR (also not in any camera view)
Turn on/off light
aaaaaand repeat....

We eventually found out when brother was visiting that the kitchen trip was to check the dishwasher (she did this multiple times when he was present.)

In most cases, the listed checks and lights were it. This ran non-stop for 1-1.5 hours every night. In a few cases she would "sneak up" on the sidelights, like she expected to see someone out there, but most of the time she just looked out after checking the lock. The other "symptoms" may not have appeared for her as she did live alone, but I believe I have read others who reported these kinds of behaviors in an elder who lived alone. Dementia - one size does not fit all!
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has anyone had loved one constantly say there is something physically always wrong? sometimes it's her head sometimes it her stomach, sometimes it's her knee, been to the doc over and over they get tired of seeing her. I do know that when she is having a particular bad few days she feels like she is going to throw up and pass out then as that passes she burps excessively. docs can't seem to find anything, was wondering if that can be part of sundowning and its a glitch in the brain?
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It can come in the morning also
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When I respond to my mom's put downs on me , she now claims I'm being argumentative and can't sleep because of me. I head for the door to get away from her as she's berating me out the door. I'm not allowed to be critical of my younger brother in any way, I'm like her whipping boy, scapegoat, yet I help her. She is always manipulating everything . just venting from the latest episode.
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My Father is a Cancer survivor being fed by a stomach bypass tube, and has early signs of Dementia,walks only with walker, cannot bathe himself, has to wear pullups disposible,cannot eat through mouth
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My 94 year old mother has been doing excellent mentally until about 6 months ago. She has insisted that she wants to be on her own. A couple of months ago she accused myself and my wife of taking things out of her yard and house. nothing was missing, but she insists. we are her only family caregivers. She lives 10 minutes up the road from us. We live in the country. She called us at 4.00am this morning (12-14/2017) and told me to get up there quick!! When I got there she met me at the door saying there had been someone in her house walking around all night long packing yarn, clothes and some of her dresses in plastic totes, even though her doors were locked and secured. I convinced her after checking all around that no had been in her house. She was convinced that there had been. I stayed with her until she accepted my conclusion. I think Sundowners Syndrome starts at dusk for some folks.
Thanks for listening!!!
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My husband has ftld and i can't find a facility. He is still able to dress,eat,walk.Im having a problem with him bathing him.he is afraid. Any tips😩
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My husband, a former surgeon has a rare disease that has been progressing over the last
8 years He is constantly reorganizing files and insisting that someone has moved everything It is heartbreaking to see this brilliant man slowly vanishing Although I have help 24/7 I am home almost every day 24/7. My doctors told me that I must forse myself to
Get out as i am suffering from burnout
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My sister in law is extremely irritable in the morning. She curses and bangs cabinets breaking hinges. Should we ask Dr for anti depressant or something to calm her.
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I am seeing up close and personal the effects of Sundowner Syndrone. Every afternoon about4 PM my wife starts asking if we are "going back" tomorrow. By this she means back to our home town in Virginia where we have not lived on more than 40 years. This leads to questions about "are my parents alive (answer no .... both been dead over 40 years." Who owns their house now ( I answer..I don't know ..which is true) and on and on.....

Patience is not a virtue of mine to start with so this is a painful process.

Thanks for reading .....
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dad has light dementia,first stage dr.,said he did SO well,better than most and he is early 80s now.(Seeing the full effect of 1st stages i'd say since this year.) 2017
and he is doing well/so far thank God.

We keep him yep busy as it say!
Golfer for 50+yrs.easily could'ave went pro,but he wanted to be with us, the five kids more and my mother his soulmate, his bff,and life partner.
Both are still VERY healthy physically.

So,me and mom make sure(i am the youngest)born in 70s, we make sure that he is out still.I'm the only sibling who take him out at least if not each day,then "3 to four x week" so he is getting:
-fresh air,smiling while i drive,and talking about things of happy nature.

-He love to get out when he can,as he always love to prior January 2017
so i am trying to for almost a year now(visiting NC for almost a year now
and staying as long as it take to make sure dad is healing after his light stroke)and dr.discharge him from in-home therapy for the stroke months ago,doing so well)and the light onset of dementia,yes he is aware of such,but again,he seem so happy when we take him for drive and then he come home and he relax, take a nap (or 2 naps)and watch his golf channel,relax,and watch tv talk shows,game shows,laugh talk and we eat dinner,and he is happy. I hope it remain this way all of his 80s,as he deal with dementia,and we know about sundowner's syndrome.I print info out on this in Feb/March and so grateful for finding this site as well."
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I'm struggling with that as well.. mom is the same way.
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My Dad lives in a senior living facility and just the past month I have noticed my Dad starts to get confused around 5pm, so this article was helpful trying to understand what is going on.

Reading about Sundowner's is one thing, experiencing it with a parent is another. It has rattled me to the core. I know this how it is going to be with my Dad, who is 94, but witnessing it is so unnerving. I have to wrap my own brain around this and try to accept it. But part of me wants to fix it. What is sad is that Dad realizes something isn't quite right with his brain, he will say "I can't figure out which way is up".

Thank goodness where he lives, he can sign up for another level of care while still remaining in his independent living apartment.... I did view the assisted living studio apartments and was shocked how tiny they were, I mean mega tiny. At least in IL, Dad still has his home office, with a ton of books and his desk top computer... even though he rarely reads or uses his computer, the books are comforting to him.
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I was wondering if this has anything to do with the body's natural Circadian rhythm, and if, as the body prepares itself for sleep, the change in brain/hormonal chemistry creates a change in behavior? I've noticed this when someone is ill with a cold for instance that it seems symptoms become more pronounced as the day starts to wind down. Thoughts or comments are welcome. I don't have proof to back up my theory, if it's considered a theory at all, just taking a biological/physiological guess.
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What if these things happen in the morning? What would you call that?
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Question? I have a client who is 87yrs young and I have been with him 2yrs now, lately not every evening, but about twice a week for the last three months he has been getting very angry, smart talking, very argumentive for no reason at all. Now, here is the thing he is still in his right mind, he still pays his bills "with no problem" he still drives, and shops for himself I am thinking something else is going on and the strange thing he goes to doctor and get excellent reports. I am truly lost on this one and I have been in the medical field over forty yrs. I need some advice because I can say I know he is stubborn maybe that's the problem.
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Please look at the medications your significant other is taking. Some, such as Aricept, list hallucinations as side effects. When we switched from Aricept to Exelon, the hallucinations ceased. Stay in good touch with your PCP when such things happen.
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Cleverdish,
You mom is taking two medications for high blood pressure. These meds can make you use the bathroom all through night. I would get an at home blood pressure monitor so I could check your mom's blood pressure throughout the day, while keeping a log of the numbers for at least a week. I would then take it to the doctor to see what can be done to adjust her meds. Her having to get up that often is disturbing her sleep too and doesn't sound healthy at all. The doctor needs to adjust the meds. There are meds for hypertension that do NOT contain fluid pill features. Ask about them. Is she drinking a lot of fluids near bedtime?

If it's not the meds causing the frequent nightime urination, I would also check her blood sugar levels. Diabetes can cause this AND sleep apnea too. Sleep apnea causes the body to secrete a chemical that causes frequent urination. When the sleep apnea is treated, the urination normally returns to normal.

I would think that you could get to the cause with the help of the doctor.
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Mom wakes every night, every 45 min-1hr to 'go potty'. She is on dilatizem and hydrochlorothiazide; docs say it's normal. I have no help, have no funds to hire someone for $160 a night so I can sleep. SHE'S 92. ANY IDEAS? -EXHAUSTED
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A very encompassing walk-thru. Also, experiential!!
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My mother had similar symptoms. Hallucinations like these can be the first or early sign of Lewy Body Disease. You might read about it and see if other symptoms match. The "awake dreams" for my mom were the earliest symptom of things to come. Thesr hallucinations were very scary for her. I also found that it worked better to help get rid of the intruders or problems rather than to say they didn't exist.
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