Elder Care in Las Vegas NV
Getting enough sleep is extremely important for health and well-being of people of any age. If your aging parent is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, however, you may have noticed that they are having difficulty getting the rest that they need to stay healthy. Understanding these challenges and coordinating their elderly care around helping them get this sleep with help to support a safe, healthy, and comfortable quality of life throughout your parent’s later years.
There are many reasons why seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia may have trouble getting enough sleep. Some of these include:
• Aging. Studies have shown that just the reality of aging can impact sleep. As people get older their sleep tends to get lighter and they are less likely to be able to sleep throughout the night. In fact, research shows that once a person hits middle age, the average amount that they will sleep each night decreases by approximately half an hour each decade. This means that by the time that your parent is in their seventies they may have lost an hour and a half or more of average sleep each night. Add this to the lighter sleep and frequent sleep disruptions and your parent may not be getting truly restorative sleep.
• Medical conditions. There are certain illnesses and health conditions that can make sleep more difficulty. These conditions can cause insomnia, difficulty staying asleep, or sleep apnea, which is periods of arrested breathing during the night. Conditions such as urinary urgency, chronic indigestion, and arthritis wake your parent frequently during the night. There are also certain medications that can result in sleep disruptions. If you notice that your parent is having more difficulty sleeping, talk to their doctor about the current health conditions and medications to find out if they may be contributing to the issue. The doctor may be able to offer recommendations or alternatives to ease the difficulty.
• Cognitive functioning decline. The brain controls sleep patterns. When your parent is progressing through their dementia the brain may no longer be able to properly regulate sleep. This can cause your parent to not be able to sleep at night and to be exhausted during the day. They may not remember what it means to sleep or develop sundowners, which causes fear and uneasiness as the evening progresses.
Ensuring that your parent gets enough sleep is crucial to their health and quality of life. An elderly care provider can be a valuable addition to your care routine in this situation. This elderly health care services provider can help your parent create a relaxing nighttime routine that will ease them into sleep. If you are concerned about their safety because they get up frequently during the night or have wandering tendencies, you can also have an elderly care provider be awake and alert throughout the night to keep your parent safer and healthier according to his needs.
Source
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=192981%20
http://www.sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders-by-category/sleep-breathing-disorders
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rem-sleep-behavior-disorder/basics/definition/con-20036654
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE ARE CONSIDERING IN-HOME ELDER CARE IN LAS VEGAS, NV PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT GOLDEN HEART SENIOR CARE. CALL TODAY 702-800-4616.