Do you miss sunsets?

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Do you miss sunsets?

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It seems like forever since I've seen one other than in pictures. At my house I make sure the blinds are closed and the lights turned on before sunset in order to minimize my mom's sundowning from vascular dementia. It does seem to help, but man, I miss those sunsets.

Alzheimer's & Dementia Family Caregiver Sundowner's Syndrome

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I expect your mother misses them, too. A blazing sunset is a glorious thing.

I do wonder if you're taking the term "sundowning" a little too literally. It is after all only a metaphor to describe the distress and anxiety caused by sensory deprivation which has been shown to be exacerbated by diminishing light levels. It isn't that witnessing the sun itself go down will trigger behavioural problems.

Is your mother mobile, or in a wheelchair? You could probably do worse, once the weather becomes warmer, than to take her outside with you and the little ones to enjoy the fresh air and scenery.

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I know it seems a too literal translation, but I've watched her and with my mom right around the time the sun goes down is when the symptoms start. It is less if the blinds are closed and the lights are on so it is bright in the house. She will be just fine and then within an hour of sundown it starts. Increased confusion, agitation, anxiety - It breaks my heart. If I have to miss sunsets to make her less agitated and anxious, I will gladly do that, but I do still miss them.
My mom has COPD as well as vascular dementia, so she is not very mobile. I'm in the process of getting her a transport chair and a walker with a seat. The walker for using around the house and the wheelchair so that I can get her out and into the world.
I do plan to take her out on the patio once it is warm enough. I have yard work to do and she can spend time outside with the furries while I work.
Thank you so much for your response and your suggestions. I really do appreciate them!

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Little Paws. : God bless you and your mom. I miss the ocean

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Thank you. Oh, yes, the ocean. I haven't been to the ocean in years. It is so calming.

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Are you able to take any of your "Little Paws" friends outside for a short walk at sunset so that you can see the sunset?

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No, it is just my mom and I and she can’t be left alone. She has paranoid thoughts and anxiety that worsen when she is alone.

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https://bmkaratzas.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/clouds_sunset_straits-of-georgia_noaa.jpg

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Glorious!

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Do you miss sunsets?

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