How to Care for Sundowning or Sundowners Disease

Sundowning or sundowners disease is a condition that is most often associated with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Since assisted living facilities and nursing homes are expensive, some families are trying to take on the responsibility of caring for the ailing, elderly members of the family. When a caregiver finds his or her loved one showing the symptoms of sundowning, it can be difficult to continue home care because the loved one can become extremely difficult to handle.

Things You'll Need

• Patience Daily activities A cane or walker if needed by the sundowners patient A good geriatrician Strong support system

Show More

Instructions

Ways to help those with sundowners

• 1

  Establish a daily routine. It is important to follow a plan that has the most activities early in the day and fewer as the day goes on. Include time in the morning to soak in some sun or use a bright white light to help re-establish the natural clock, which could have been impacted by lack of sleep or irregular sleeping patterns.

• 2

  Try to have both mental and physical active activities throughout the day. These activities can help the person with sundowners to focus on fun events. Try to include a daily walk in the early afternoon to help keep energy levels up and try to avoid a long midday or early evening nap. Leave time right after lunch for a shorter nap.

• 3

  Follow a strict bedtime routine. It is important that the bedtime routine is followed every night, no matter the occasion. The routine should start right after dinner by lessening the activities and lowering the noises in the house, such as TV volume and music. Once the person with sundowners has gone to bed, try to keep the other members of the household as far away as possible.

• 4

  Follow a healthy diet. A healthy diet will help provide energy during the day and could help keep away colds or other illnesses. Try to allow for larger meals earlier in the day, like a nice-sized breakfast and a supper meal for lunch and then make dinner smaller. Also keep in mind the amount of caffeine being taken. Try replacing carbonated caffeine drinks with water that has a slice of lemon or lime in it, especially after lunch. This will help the body to unwind naturally in the evening and could result in a better sleep during the night.

• 5

  As the caregiver, try to keep a regular sleep schedule. Keeping yourself healthy is just as important as helping the person with sundowners. As a caregiver to a dementia or sundowners patient, it is imperative that you get good sleep, eat well and have daily exercise to keep yourself healthy. Caregivers tend to forget about themselves, but if they get ill it will impact two people.