Posted 11/26/18
Had a nice time visiting mom today. She had a challenging day and wouldn’t accept her bath (very common for her). Sad to have to be “given a bath” for a proud person as she is/was. 🙁 By the time my stepdad got there after lunch, she started settling down and by the time I got there all was pretty much ok. We colored a little and played with her Alzheimer’s tactile dealy-bob (sorry for the hyper-technical jargon 😉 ).
Been studying “sundowners” (sundowning) and other sleep issues to see if that is a concern. Mom has apparently slept ok after the first couple weeks, but I wonder if the poor quality of her sleep regardless of duration or timing could exacerbate her anxiety. We suggested to the doctor that she have Melatonin as a natural sleep aid, knowing that if the patients get day and night switched up too much, her sleep will get messed up and everything will be in an upheaval. There is a lot to know about Alzheimer’s patients’ sleep issues!
I saw yet another nice proof of the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of singing the old songs of the patients’ youth today. Miss E, over 100 and the most senior of the Sweet 17, sang a couple songs with us during supper. She seemed to know the words and did her best. She is so very sweet. Age has taken its toll on her, but she has a gentle spirit. Such is the story of most of the ladies in their own ways. Getting old with Alzheimer’s is a really bad deal. 🙁
#EndALZ
Here is a link for further research on sleep issues for Alzheimer’s patients:
https://www.alz.org/…/stages-behav…/sleep-issues-sundowning…