Is it alright for my 84-year-old mother with Alzheimer's Disease to sleep twenty hours a day?

kloie12345, your mother is being followed on this by her doctor. That is good.

Your profile says she has dementia. As you know, dementia gets worse over time. Sometimes the progression is very slow and gradual and sometimes it seems to get a lot worse suddenly.

Discuss with her doctor whether Mom may be entering the final stage, and how best to prepare for that.

I am sorry this tough time is so soon after you moved to be near her. Try to make the most of the time she is awake, even if it just holding hands and listening to music.

(It is not generally a good idea to post personal information such as an email or phone number.)

My Mom was completely different 1 month ago.
She went into the hospital 2 weeks ago because she got so weak she could not hold her pills in her hand to take them, could not get in and out of bed without assistance and she did not have an appetite.
Her doctor took 5 of her pills away she had been taking and advised Gatorade. Mom doesn't like it...says it's not sweet enough.
Today, I was visiting and said something to her and the response was not in her character at all, she said she wasn't in the mood. Sh would never say that! Every time she eats, she complains, her stomach hurts. We all know...she doesn't think it's worth getting up and make-up on and dressed to do ANYTHING at all.
I moved here last year to be with her and now, I can't really...other than sit at her bedside while she sleeps.
PLEASE ADVISE,
Her eldest daughter,
Roxanne

Sleeping a lot is just a symptom. Yes it can lead to bed sores, dehydration, pneumonia, depression, etc, all mentioned here. As the caregiver, you have to reflect upon your own observations regarding her OVERALL condition. Then you need to consult with the doctor. If she is approaching end stage, it would be time to consider Hospice and forgo the need for corrective treatment. But if she's not end stage, there may be treatments for medication to help her back to function.

Over sleep is a common sign of depression. Get her to a doctor.

My Grandmother is 84 yrs old and was diagnosed with Alzheimers about 9 yrs ago. She takes Aricept and Namenda, without them, she is very, very mean. A few months ago, she started sleeping alot, she then passed out in the bathroom. We found out she was severely dehydrated at that time. After spending a week in the hospital, she has taken naps ever since. The last few weeks, she sleep ALOT. I'm talking 18-20 hours a day!! She says she is always tired and just wants to rest. She was taken to the doctor last week, (she complains of headaches daily) The doctor took her off 3 meds in hopes to get rid of the headaches she is having. However, it didn't address her desire to sleep all day. I was wondering too if it means she may not be around in a year. :(

I definately feel, and my husband and kids agree, that I'm not the same person I was before my Mom's alzheimer's diagnosis. It probably feels like living with someone who has chronic PMS 24/7! My moods go up and down... Even when I'm trying to carve out time just for me, the worry is always there. I'm just praying alot and doing much deep breathing to work thru it all. Guess I had underestimated how much a parent's dementia and/or alzheimer's affects the whole family. Din: considering the layoff and everything that's been going on, be kind to yourself. You're being proactive about your own health, as well as your parents. Give yourself lots of kudos! You deserve em!

its common the elders sleeps alot . its bad enough when they cant get up and do things they used to do .
i tried to keep dad up but its like trying to keep a newborn baby awake . they would cry mumble jumble wa wa and im thinking oh gosh !! ok go back to sleep ! i tried to get him to excersie , i sit on coffee table in front of him ok raise ur leg now raise other leg , i do it too so pa can see it and he would do it . he do it few then he watch me do the rest ! close his eyes and off to dream land .
onlytime he would stay awake is when we go out for a ride . he gets speical treatement (wendys) . then when we get home he is worn out . sleeps for days !
if im 86 and cant do nothing yeah i would welcome sleep ...

i am very stressed out because my parents got sick about the same time. dad is on hospice with his heart and now alheimers and mom has dimentia real bad. my husband is saying i am not the same person so i am going to the dr but i would love to know what fernanzdo was prescribed on top of this i got laid off so now the finances and more stress

I don't think so she needs to be stimulated. Day care is great

Hi there,
I think it is not good for anyone to sleep 24 hours, unless you are doing a job 24 hours and off 24 hours, than perhaps one would want to sleep.
You have to try to get her up, after perhaps 8 hours of sleep. What did she like doing? Perhaps you can ask her to go for walks with you or some simple gardening.
Do whatever it takes to get her up, it is not good for her, in the long run.
God bless

As long as she is able to sleep at night and when she is up you check her skin for pressor sores amd when she is up takes some nutrition she seems ok to me it sounds like her system in just shutting down maybe you xoukd wake her up every 4-6 hrs during the day and wash her and change her position and get her to have some food as long as she is able to sleep during the nght I would not worry about it-if she keeps others up at night that is another thing and then she would need to be awake during the day a bubble bath and change of clothes daily is a good idea.

My mother wanted to sleep 24 hours a day. She was in a nursing home (she was 96). The staff there saw to it that she got up and sat in her "gerry chair" for most of the day. She was unable to walk so she also had to have a wheel chair. Anyway, I found that as Alzheimer's progresses (despite Aricept and Namenda), she continued wanting to sleep all of the time and not talk t me. This happened wthin a few short months. She died
on October 20, 2009. I was very sad at the time, but knowing my mother like I did, I knew very well she would not have wanted to live like that. When she became 95 she kept tellling me "that's awful old, isn't it). In my oipinion, I think the Alzheimer's is taking over. Prepare yourself as much as possible.

God Bless

My Mom was alternating between wanting to sleep constantly (and when she couldn't, becoming agitated) and not physically being able to for stretches of time. The Doctor found that she had a Urinary Tract Infection and also, he took her off the alzheimer's medicine she was on (big side effect was drowsiness). I agree with the Dr's visit suggestion. This is something that you need support on! Your parents are lucky to have such a concerned and loving daughter!

my dad is 86 , he sleeps alot . its the meds he s on and he doesnt feel good . tired and worn out . cant do nothing so sleep is about all he wants to do and watch tv .
yes make sure she drinks plenty and give her applesauce or pudding of something and keep her bed prop up so she wont get pneumoina , change her postion when you go ck on her so she wont have bedsores .
i also think they like to sleep alot cuz they can do so much in thier dreams .

This is a clear sign of either depression and/or over medication. This is not ok. She is at risk for dehydration, bed sores, pneumonia, and more. Mom needs to be seen by a doctor. Hopefully you have a psychiatrist that helps manage mom's meds.
Good luck and be proactive.

Be careful that she does not dehydrate or not eat. Ensure is wonderful, but she needs 2 glasses a day for liquid and norishment.

Hi sweetie the thing about stress is that it feeds on it's self to make more stress, it then becomes it's own support system to support it's self.First my heart go's out to you in your pain. stress can lead to depression, so i pray that you be careful of this, i know for this happen to me, but i sort out medical help, and he put me on one pill that has changed every thing, i now have carmines of mind so as to look out for my elderly folk in a clearer and stressless
state of mind, it has helped to no end.Your dad may see it that she need rest, i know that i to some times sleep more than i need so as to rest my mind from thinking.I don't know what to tell you about that,but i do know about stress, and it's danger, so make sure you look out for you, so you can better look out for them. I can only talk about what i went through, i hope and pray that it has helped in a small way.
stay strong for them and you
Fernando