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Middle1 Asked February 14, 2026

Sleeping schedule is mixed up

My mom has dementia and is in a memory care facility. Every time I go to see her, she is sound asleep, and even if I try, I cannot wake her up (if I do, she is very groggy, and our visit does not go great). When I ask staff about it, they report that she is often up during the night. It sounds to me like she has her days and nights mixed up. What can I do, or what can I tell the facility, to help her get back on a normal sleep-wake schedule?

MG8522 Feb 14, 2026
Talk with her doctor(s). She probably needs a change in medications. She may need different medications, or a change in the dosage and/or timing of her current ones. The facility administers the medications as prescribed by the resident's doctors or nurse-practitioners.

MACinCT Feb 14, 2026
You might want to bring your info to her doctor. Look up RASS score to assess wakefulness. It sounds like -5. You can also see if she responds to some painful stimuli. She might be medicated

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funkygrandma59 Feb 14, 2026
Are you sure that her memory care isn't medicating her to the point of sleeping all day? That was my first thought after reading your question, as often drugs are used in memory cares to keep folks more calm, and in your moms case it may just be knocking her out completely. Perhaps a talk with her doctor about changing her medications or at least lowering the dosage or time given. Just a thought.

freqflyer Feb 14, 2026
There are some excellent articles about sleep schedules on Aging Care. Go to the top of the page and click on RESOURCES... now click on "Caregiving Topics".... click on the letter "S" .... scroll down to "Sleep Issues". Hope this helps.

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