Many elderly adults start feeling anxious and confused at night. Sometimes this will start after the sun has gone down and other times it might start later in the evening. Either way, this can be extremely uncomfortable. It can affect your elderly loved one, yourself, and their caregivers. It is important to know how you can possibly help your elderly loved one to deal with these feelings.
Things to Watch Out for With Anxiety in Your Elderly Loved One
There are numerous health conditions that can affect your elderly loved one’s physical state. However, there are also things that can affect their mental health state. Many elderly adults won’t admit when they are experiencing mental health symptoms. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues that occur for elderly adults. If you notice the following in your elderly loved one, they might be experiencing anxiety:
-They are extremely concerned with all the little things.
-They can’t let go of things and worry about things all day.
-They can’t get good sleep because their mind is racing.
In addition to the anxiety that your elderly loved one is experiencing, they might also be feeling confused.
Things to Watch Out for with Confusion in Your Elderly Loved One
Many elderly adults will experience confusion at night. Some of the ways to determine if your elderly loved one is feeling confused include the following:
-They don’t know where they are at.
-They don’t know what is happening around them.
-They don’t recognize who a certain person or multiple people are.
If your elderly loved one is experiencing confusion along with anxiety, they could have something known as sundowner’s syndrome.
More About Sundowner’s Syndrome
While sundowner’s syndrome isn’t an actual disease, it is often associated with elderly adults who have dementia. If your elderly loved one has sundowner’s syndrome, they might get anxious and confused later in the day and this could worsen through the nighttime hours. It could even cause your elderly loved one to become aggressive. Many elderly adults experience sundowner’s syndrome when it gets darker, when they are tired, and when there are more shadows.
Helping Your Elderly Loved One
If your elderly loved one is experiencing anxiety and confusion at night, there are some things you can do to help them out. Some of the things you can do to help include the following:
-Have them follow a routine every day, from morning until bedtime
-Encourage your elderly loved one to exercise every day to help them sleep better at night.
-Help your elderly loved one avoid naps during the day (if you can’t be there to help with this, hire caregivers to do so)
-Limit the amount of caffeine and sugar your elderly loved one has
-Reduce the amount of background noise later in the day.
-Place nightlights throughout the house
These are some of the tips to help reduce the amount of anxiety and confusion your elderly loved one experiences at night.
Conclusion
If your elderly loved one is experiencing anxiety and confusion at night, it is important to know they might have sundowner’s syndrome. If you have your elderly loved one following the tips mentioned above, this could help to reduce their anxiety and confusion.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Homecare in Piedmont, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203
Sources
https://www.mayoclinic.org/
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