Mum often ends up falling asleep on her recliner chair in the living room as it’s a much warmer room and I’ve been sleeping on the couch myself since my brothers passed away so obviously she maybe feels more secure this way. I’ll be honest in saying it also makes my life easier as it’s easier to keep an eye on her this way, ie toileting etc. I wake up if she’s walking around whereas if she’s downstairs, it’s a different story. She’s often made a mess before I notice she’s awake, ie removed her incontinence pants. Downstairs is also carpet whereas upstairs is not so I’m sure you see where I’m going with this.
ANYHOW, I do note it’s not ideal for her posture / body to sleep in a recliner so I do try to alternate and take her to her bedroom to her bed too.
What I’ve noticed though is that her confusion is much worse when she wakes up from bed compared to the recliner. You’d think it would be the opposite! As in she’s been able to lie flat and have a proper deep sleep but for some reason this is not the case.
Does deep sleep cause more confusion? Im guessing she’s having a deeper sleep in bed as she actually snores.
Her sundowning is also completely the opposite. She’s at her peak in the evening/night and worst in the morning/lunch.
My MIL slept in her recliner every night because of her hips. Lying flat caused her pain. So I see nothing wrong with that. But, my MIL was still mobile. If your Mom is in the recliner all the time, pressure sores may happen. Better to prevent them than try to heal them. So she needs to move around.
She did have sleep apnea earlier I recall because she went to all these tests years ago and had this little mask. She could never get used to it though and it was eventually forgotten. So in saying that, it could be that she needs to be somewhat elevated, that perhaps she isn’t getting enough oxygen.
we used to do the whole she gets up at her own time and it was handy for me as I’d get uninterrupted time to work from home. However, her getting up and removing her incontinence wear became an issue
:(
Have you thought of moving her bed? If it is easier for you to care for her where the chair is now a Hospital bed placed there would be easy as well. Her chair can be near it if she is used to that.
The other advantage to having a bed in a room that is more used than the bedroom is as she sleeps more or becomes bedbound having a bed where there is activity is nicer than being isolated in a room on another floor of the house. And it also makes it easier for the caregiver so you do not have to go from room to room and floor to floor.