My parent refuses to sleep. Help me!

Have you talked to the doctor? Is she able to get around or is she dependent on you to get her up and around? Are you afraid of what she will do when she's up alone?

Thank you for the comment on the post. Yes I have talked to the doctor and just want to give her sleeping Medication. I really don't like them because I think the next day shes more agitated and not think clearer more forgetful. I have tried melatonin don't even faze her.

What about antianxiety medication? Not to make her sleep but to relax her. Or maybe getting some lavender essential oil to put on her pillow. It isn't to make her sleep but to calm her. Whatever you do you should still talk to the doctor about it, at least over the phone. What about having her go to an adult day care for a few hours a day? You need your sleep. I hope this helps, if not maybe others might have some ideas.

Which sleeping meds have you tried for Mom, besides melatonin? There are a variety of drugs that work either directly on the sleep issue or on other issues that might be causing the problem, as mrsribit suggests. Sleep is essential and inability to sleep is essentially a medical problem. I would continue to work with her doctor on this. I highly recommend a sleep clinic for addressing sleep issues. A sleep specialist resolved the problems my husband was having, enabling me to keep him safely at home instead of considering placement. In the past two years I've had sleep problems myself. I've tried my PCP, a talk therapit, a psychiatrist, all without much success. Finally (duh) I got an appoitnment at a sleep clinic. I suggst skipping all the other approaches and going directly to a sleep specialist if at all posible.

What are your mother's impairments? Is she mobile? Do you live together? What is your main concern about how little sleep she is getting?

Sleeping issues are a side-effect of dementia (i.e. Short sleeping spans) and sleep-aids aren't likely to help I've been told. The negative side effect of caring for a elderly who's afflicted with dementia. I deal with the same and have become accustom to short spans of sleep at night made up with naps during the day during my mother's calmer moments and/or her nap times. It's not ideal, but it is workable. However, if you're working a 2nd job, this probably isn't going to work for you and why I don't have one lol.

Traditional sleep aids may not help, victoriak68, but there absolutely are other drugs than can help substantially for dementia patients, as I know from personal experience and from the experience of others in my local caregiver's support group. Not all doctors are well-versed in treatment of dementia patients.

jeannegibbs, that was rude for you to insinuate that my mother does not have a good medical care. My mother has an extremely adept group of doctors caring for her. For you to insinuate otherwise is just crass and cruel. It's a known fact that sleep aids are unhealthy for people as a rule. To subject my mother to things such as this is selfish on my part when it's very simple to adjust my schedule to hers. She's getting enough sleep, it's the dementia that prevents her from getting that sleep all at once. If she weren't getting enough sleep, that would be a different matter altogether. I know because I've looked into this. When adjusting my schedule to accommodate her I also get enough sleep. Unless you have other obligations, such as children and/or work, there is no need for artificial assistance. And in my opinion (and this is only an opinion), if you NEED artificial assistance, then maybe it's time to seek outside assistance, as in nursing home?