I have tried waiting several minutes and asking her again. This attempt can go on for an hour. Last week she tried to kick me. I have been with her since January and it has gotten worse as time passes. I remain patient, leaving her alone, letting her stay in bed awhile longer, and then returning to try again. It can take more than an hour or more. Any suggestions.
If your patient drinks coffee might be worth a try. I love the smell myself.
From the beginning, I have found she likes to look outside so I bought a 6 foot by 30 inch folding table to place in front of the kitchen window for her to look out into the backyard, the bird feeder is about 5 feet away from the window. We live in the city but this part of town has lots of room for wildlife. She looks outside while I use the computer (a little entertainment for me) on the other side of the table. I read emails or work on our genealogy online and sometimes I look up video on youtube for her to watch on my pc screen that is large enough for her to see sitting beside me. You can find any song from almost any era on youtube! We look at stored photos on my pc of years past.
If I don't stay at the table with her, she gets up and goes back to bed. I believe you need to give her a good reason for her to get out of bed, something to get her excited about. Something good to eat, or visual activity to entertain her.
I ask, too - what time are you getting her up? Also how many hours sleep does she get a night? Personally, I am a huge "not a morning person". HUGE. I have awful insomnia- suffered from it all my life, even as a child. Typically, I don't fall into a solid sleep until 3am - sometimes not even then. But regardless, I've found a huge difference between getting up at 8am and even 7:30am. It doesn't matter how well I slept the night before - at 8am, even though it's only 30 minutes I feel much better.
I think it was Jeanne who touched on light. From years of research on insomnia cures - there is much debate on light. Pitch dark vs natural light. The philosophy that works best for me is natural light. I have no blinds or curtains on my bedroom windows - good thing my house is up on a steep hill as no one can see in - anyhoo, the theory is that your body clock will set its self to the light. Kind of an "up with the sun" thing as the caveman did prior to alarm clocks. Although if you live in a bleaker climate this can be problematic if it doesn't get light out at a reasonable time - winter for instance. Sooo - perhaps try going into the room and opening the shades/curtains twenty minutes prior to your first attempt to get her up - remember the O.J. on that first attempt!
You didn't say how old your patient is - but if it is age related as opposed to dementia, then you're fighting nature. I've been advised that it is not uncommon for a 95 year old to sleep upwards to 20 hours daily. He has started watching TV in the afternoons, and I am thankful.
Is your patient willing to get up later in the day and eat breakfast? I know for us, time no longer matters. He wakes up and I offer to feed him. Breakfast, lunch and dinner don't have to be at a special time for us.
What is her preference for when she gets up?
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