Relationship Between Sundowning And Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease can have a big effect on family members around the person with the disease; it would be upsetting seeing a loved one got through such a major change in their behaviour and their mental capability. If you live with someone with Alzheimer’s and they are wondering in the middle of the night and have sleep difficulties and this can disturb the family in the house. Also if they are wondering around in the middle of the night around the community the police may pick them up, meaning they are again disturbed as the police will need to contact someone to make sure that the person is ok. There are also worries about financial problems that the Alzheimer’s sufferer may have, if they cannot manage

Certain qualities are consistently observed in the Alzheimer’s victim. These dysfunction’s, though, are not exclusive to Alzheimer’s disease. Consequently, declaring Alzheimer’s by these parameters is a matter of degree rather than an absolute. Characteristic dysfunction’s have been noted in Alzheimer’s victims, but the degree and severity of these varies from patient to patient. Thus, evaluation of the patient’s mental status must be made based on the sum, rather than a single characteristic. Memory is one of the first noticed deficiencies, beginning typically with the recent and short term memory, and progressing from there as the disease grows more severe. In addition, deterioration in language skills, attention span, praxis (performance of an action), and visuospatial skills are commonly seen. Also observed are changes in the actions and personality of the Alzheimer’s victim. These include changes in mood, motor activities, activities of daily living, socialization skills, psychotic disturbances, vegetative symptomology, and rise in anxiety levels. Again, the

Positive interactions can help reduce agitation caused by frustration and give a person a feeling that they do matter. By lending an understanding ear to someone with Alzheimer's to verbalize their frustrations, worries and fears, the negative emotions can diminish. This will contribute to better cognitive functioning and behaviour. Dementia can be a lonely illness and giving someone you time and undivided attention can help them to remain centred and calm.

People with dementia have symptoms that can vary throughout the week or even day. They will have times when they perform well, and others when they will have more problems. Fatigue is the biggest enemy of the person with memory loss. People with brain diseases tire easily because they must concentrate so hard all the time. For many, the late afternoon and early evening hours can be the most challenging due to fatigue, a condition often referred to as "sundowning."

Sleep is important not only for promoting healing, but also for the overall well-being of the individual. When there are problems with the sleeping pattern, it impacts the overall health and safety of the older adult. The person will not have enough rest and will be too tired to perform activities surrounding daily living. We have to assess the risk factors contributing to the problems of sleep disturbance and these might be “related to poor sleep hygiene, including an irregular sleep schedule, environmental noise or light, and the use of stimulants” (Mauk, 2014, p. 581). If the sleeping pattern is not assessed, possible complications will happen, such as falls that could lead to bodily injuries.

People with Alzheimer’s try to continue doing normal everyday activities. Depending on how bad the progression of the disease is, this could be a very dangerous situation for them and could make their loved one’s very worried. One time, my grandpa decided that he was going to go to the store to buy groceries. So he took the car keys, hopped in the car and drove to the grocery store without my grandma realizing that he had gone. He bought some groceries then started going back

The National Institute on Aging has a wealth of resources that directly address how to keep people with Alzheimer’s as calm as possible, but according to Senior Care Transition Services one of the most important things for caregivers to remember is that these changes have absolutely nothing to do with you or your relationship; they are just symptoms of the disease.

     It is inevitable that eventually each of us will grow old and begin to face more and more health problems as our age rises. Elderly people are challenged by many illnesses and diseases that unfortunately, are incurable. One disease that becomes more common as people age is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s a common cause and a form of dementia and can severely damage a patient’s cognitive functions and can ultimately cause death. Living with Alzheimer’s disease can be saddening for both the sufferer and the family. Family and friends will find it very hard to cope when a loved one begins slipping away and losing memory of who they are.

Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their

In the book, Surviving Alzheimer’s: Practical tips and soul-saving wisdom for caregivers, the writer, Paula Spencer Scott, gives insightful advice in regards to caring for someone that suffers from the unfortunate neurological disorder, Alzheimer’s. Scott does not hesitate to share multiple ideas, experiences about trying these ideas, and even included professional advice from geriatric specialist

A research study was conducted by Dr. Helen Kales and others as to whether or not antipsychotic drugs increased mortality rate in elderly dementia patients. In her article in The American Journal of Psychiatry, Kales concluded, “Antipsychotic medications taken by patients with dementia were associated with higher mortality rates than were most other medications used for neuropsychiatric symptoms.” According to Dr. Lyketos, who did a presentation about dementia patients, “A few neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia patients include: depression, sundowning, anxiety, repetitious questioning, and sleep disturbance” (Lyketos). Sundowning is one of the most common symptoms and occurs when the patient suffers “increased confusion and agitation at cyclic

Along with varying music to achieve different beneficial results from Alzheimer’s patients, there are many different activities that can help engage and improve the mental state of patients with Alzheimer’s from the early stages of the disease’s

In the pamphlet Basics of Alzheimer’s Disease, the Alzheimer’s Association adds late onset, traditionally known simply as Alzheimer’s, targets primarily people 65 and older. The disease follows a series of steps from mild decline with little noticed changes to very severe cognitive decline where the final stage of the disease is in progress (Basic 19-21). Throughout the stages, independence becomes lost and family members will become care takers and in the later stages nursing homes or hospice may be needed. One book encourages the care giver to communicate through body language, tone, and written instructions to help alleviate as much stress as possible for those living with Alzheimer’s (Living 47). The book further adds when caring for a person with Alzheimer’s remember to maintain patience and to show respect .

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can be a devastating disease for patient and families, the patient would need 24-hour care and they would become dependent on their families. I used to take care off a lady with AD at a facility. The facility had several room, one for people with early signs of AD where the patients were still doing ADL’s on their own and another where patients needed total care. My client

Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 out of every 8 people in the United States. It is a long and debilitating disease that affects every aspect of a person’s life from the way they preform daily tasks, to the physical and mental abilities that are diminishing. Along with the lifestyle changes that Alzheimer’s disease presents, it also affects one’s psychological perspective as well their view on what they can offer their family and society. There are some ways to maintain a level of independence with a disease of this magnitude but there are also factors in lifestyle choices that can make it worse. Alzheimer cannot be cured, it cannot be slowed, but there are ways to keep the effected person at a certain level of comfort, independence and safety