5 Quick Tips for Dementia Caregivers About Sundowning
Are you noticing your loved one becoming more agitated or confused as the day progresses?
This common issue, known as sundowning, can be particularly challenging for caregivers of those with dementia. Sundowning refers to the increased confusion and agitation that often occurs later in the day, making evenings difficult for both the individual and their caregivers.
In this episode, Lizette shares some practical tips on managing sundowning, focusing on strategies that are often overlooked.
Establish a Consistent Routine
One of the most effective ways to manage sundowning is by maintaining a consistent daily routine. This includes waking up, eating meals, and going to bed at the same times every day.
Regular routines can help create a sense of familiarity and security for your loved one, which can reduce the confusion and anxiety associated with sundowning.
It’s particularly important to focus on the morning routine, as starting the day on the right foot can set a positive tone for the rest of the day.
The Importance of Morning Sunlight
Did you know that exposure to morning sunlight can help regulate your loved one’s internal clock? Spending just 10-15 minutes outside in the morning sun can significantly improve their circadian rhythms, reducing the likelihood of sundowning later in the day.
This simple habit can make a big difference in their overall well-being.
Optimize the Home Environment
In the evening, consider how your home environment might be contributing to sundowning. Increasing indoor lighting can help counteract the fading daylight, reducing confusion.
Additionally, minimizing noise and distractions, such as turning off the TV or keeping the home at a comfortable temperature, can create a more calming environment for your loved one.
Plan Activities Wisely
When scheduling appointments or activities, try to do them in the morning when your loved one is more alert and cooperative. Avoid cramming too many activities into one day.
If possible, encourage light exercise in the afternoon to help keep your loved one engaged without overwhelming them. While it might be tempting to let them nap, limiting daytime sleep can help them stay on track with their nighttime routine.
Focus on Hydration and Diet
Pay attention to their hydration and dietary needs throughout the day. Encourage drinking fluids earlier in the day to avoid dehydration, but limit liquids in the evening to reduce the risk of nighttime awakenings.
Serving a larger meal earlier in the day and a lighter dinner can also help maintain their energy levels and keep them comfortable as the day winds down.
By incorporating these tips into your caregiving routine, you can help manage the challenges of sundowning more effectively. Remember, even small changes can have a big impact on your loved one’s comfort and your peace of mind.
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Email me: lizette@dignicarebydesign.com
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[0:01] Well, welcome back, Christian caregiver, to Christian Dementia Caregiving, the podcast where we help Bible-believing Christians who are wanting to make their dementia caregiving journey easier for themselves, as well as find hope, as well as help in this caregiving journey. I welcome you to this Quick Tips episode. I’m doing a limited series on five quick tips related to some sort of dementia caregiving challenge over the last week and into next week. And today’s episode is five quick tips for dementia caregivers about sundowning. Now, what is sundowning? Now, sundowning really is is just the issue that people living with dementia have typically later in the day.
[1:02] Now, we think about it when the sun goes down, but the reality of the matter is sundowning can happen early in the day. It can happen later in the day. It is significantly impacted by circadic rhythms that we all have. And it can be indicated when somebody was way more alert and oriented and able to do more earlier in the day, but then later in the day, as the sun goes down.
[1:35] They struggle a little bit with more confusion as the sun goes down. So there’s definitely a a component of needing to understand that when a person has sundowning later in the day is not as good as earlier. So we have to consider that in our daily routine. And I want you to take today’s five quick tips and start to look for some of the patterns because there are some patterns related to all of these different types of strategies that we have. Sometimes they just come up in a different order. But for somebody living with dementia, a…
[2:22] Especially somebody who is sundowning, a consistent daily routine is extremely important for them. And it is way more important for them to get up at the same time every single day than it is to go to bed at the same time. What happens often that I have seen with people living And this is probably one of the biggest differences in a person living with dementia in a facility versus at home, that a facility is actually, in my opinion.
[3:00] Can be a better environment for some people is that consistent routine. Getting up at the same time every single day, going to bed at the same time every single day, having mealtimes at the same time every single day, but a very strict sleep routine and maintaining this every single day is vitally important specifically for somebody who is sundowning. So I’m not a proponent for facility-based care for everybody, but this is one specific time where I actually think facilities have the upper hand is that they follow a very consistent routine. So that’s quick tip number one, because when we have a consistent routine.
[3:56] It really does create the sense of familiarity and security for the person living with dementia.
[4:05] And so when we have this routine and we just follow the fabric of the routine, it makes it easier for the person that you’re helping since they are not able to be.
[4:18] Grounded by looking at a watch or understanding that the sun is going down or those kinds of external cues that you and I can pick up on, but that they may not necessarily pick up on. The second thing related to sundowning that I want you to know as a quick tip is sunlight life is vitally important for our health, both our mental well-being and our physical well-being. I’ll never forget, my parents lived in Sweden, and when we were there at the very first summer, I never understood why everybody was always outside in the sun, because the sun shone from 2 o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock at night, and very limited dark hours. But in the winter, it was the opposite.
[5:12] How that impacts our brain is very, very interesting. Now, people living with dementia have something very similar. But our brain uses sunlight in our eyes, through our eyes, to reset our circadian rhythm, to reset our daily clock. So first thing in the morning, quick tip number two is take the person that you love outside into the sunlight. Sit outside in the sun for 10 minutes, 15 minutes.
[5:49] Reset their internal circadian clock to be able to help you later in the day when sundowning might occur.
[5:59] The third quick tip I want you to think about is look at what you can control or modify or change in the environment.
[6:10] Specifically later on in the day. So increasing the lighting in the house in the evening hours, decreasing noise and distractions, specifically the television later in the day so that the person is not necessarily overwhelmed. Try to keep the house at a comfortable temperature, not too hot or not too cold so that the person is just in a very comfortable situation because as the light changes, we can somewhat compensate for it through increasing the inside lighting and then creating a calm and familiar environment can help to decrease the triggers or factors that could contribute to sundowning. The fourth quick tip is I want you to think about planning your days strategically.
[7:12] If you have activities that need to occur like doctor’s appointments or hair appointments or visiting with somebody, then try to plan those activities strategically. Do them in the morning. planning do not do 15 of them on one day try to to do the things that you need the best for the person, their participation for earlier in the day when they have not used up all their residual activities. Try to encourage exercise in the afternoon to help be able to engage the person a little bit more. And very importantly, try not to let the person take a nap. I know it’s hard because sometimes that nap time is the only time that you have to maybe get other activities done. And so I know that that can be a challenge, but if the person is sleeping too much early on in the day, they may already have changed their circadian rhythm.
[8:29] And then the last quick tip for specifically the sundowning is we absolutely need to try to make sure that we watch hydration and see how we can change our diet. So maybe have a larger earlier meal in the day like breakfast or lunch and a lighter dinner. Consider limiting Limiting caffeine later in the day and really, really make sure that we are making sure that the person is drinking, but front load the hydration and not in the evening as much so that you can try to ensure that the person is getting enough hydration.
Seeking Support and Guidance for Christian Dementia Caregivers
[9:19] Are you a Christian dementia caregiver struggling to cope? Does dementia caregiving really need to be this hard? I invite you to join our free monthly Ask the Dementia Coach meetup. Get personalized guidance and support from me, a pastor’s wife, occupational therapist, and Christian dementia coach. By blending evidence-based strategies with With Christian principles, you can radically improve your caregiving experience. Register now for our next session of Ask the Dementia Coach. We limit registrations, so don’t miss out. Sign up today.
Recap: Quick Tips for Managing Sundowning in Dementia Care
[10:07] So sundowning is very much a common thing in people with dementia, but here are just to recap a few of the quick tips. Number one is establish a consistent routine.
[10:26] Number two is make sure that you get the person you love outside in the sunlight, vitally important for us. Number three, make sure that you are looking at what environmental factors could be contributing and using technology like lights. They make good lighting to decrease shadows and they actually have some light that is similar to sunlight that you can use. And then fourthly, plan your activities strategically.
[11:05] Specifically things that you need the person to engage with earlier in the day when they are at their best and not later in the day. And then lastly, hydration and diet. Make sure that you are trying to ensure that the person is front-loading all of their hydration in the day so that when it’s harder in the evening, they have had enough fluid so that the person doesn’t dehydrate. I really sincerely hope these five quick tip episodes are resonating with you. I’m trying something a little different to see how I can better serve you. I want to make sure that I have invited you, if you haven’t signed up for a Dementia Care Audit, where you can be a co-creator of this podcast and I can help you with everything.
[12:02] Getting on track with specifically what it is that you are struggling with. Because what I have noticed, people struggle with either managing challenging behaviors, or people are struggling to plan for it, or the caregiver is burning out. We need to start there. So those are three different ways that we can look at it. If you’re struggling with a challenging behavior, Hop on one of these free 30-minute co-creation opportunities where we can unpack one challenging, your biggest challenging behavior.
[12:40] Or if you’re super, super stressed, hop on and we can look exactly what it is that’s causing your stress and see if we can come up with a practical solution for you to decrease your stress immediately. Immediately or if you’re the caregiver who needs to figure out what the plan is for your loved one hop on one of the free dementia care audits and i can help you get in on the right path for you so message me the word audit on instagram or on facebook and we will get you signed up for one of these limited coaching sessions where you can be a co-creator of this podcast with me. I know that these shorty episodes are valuable and I’m very excited about them. Thank you, shout out to Pam, who gave me this wonderful idea. And if you haven’t left me a review on Apple Podcasts, go ahead and do that. If you haven’t joined our free Facebook group, go ahead and do that. But as I end all of my episodes, may the Lord bless you and keep you, and I will see you in the next Quick Tip episode.
