How much sleep does a 97-year-old need?

LikeaMother,

Checkout this article on elderly sleep problems. It has a lot of insight to sleep in seniors.

Do People Need Less Sleep As They Age?
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/Sleep-and-Aging-133153.htm

Hope this helps :)
Karie H.
AgingCare.com Team

She has only been living with me since she has recovered from her hip surgeries, prior to that she lived alone behind me on the next street, I think this napping is not a new thing since she used to tell me she was going home to take a nap. I was just not aware of the length of them. She has no hobbies except reading the stock market. Bad eyesight and hearing but she does watch game shows and some movies on TV. She loves "America's got Talent" and has stayed up till 10:00 to see it.
I'm so relieved to see that this excessive napping is not unusual. Thank you.

As people age, we do see them sleeping a lot more. If she sleeps well at night there is probably nothing wrong with these naps during the day. I would evaluate the possibility of boredom, however. Sometimes as people are less engaged with activities and less stimulated by special interests, they can get bored and can easily fall asleep while watching TV. We have developed a program called Live Enrichment that our personal care aides use to try to engage seniors in activities that they love and it has worked well to keep them interested in and participating in their interests. I would encourage you to explore some activities that might encourage her to be more engaged or involved in and it might shorten the naps or maybe even eliminate the morning nap. If she still naps a lot, well, maybe she just needs more sleep than you or I. Best wishes.

My mother is almost 89 and she does the very same thing. I have not seen any adverse side effects of the napping and her quality of life when she is awake is good, so I have not been terribly concerned about it. Is this a new habit or has she always been somewhat of a "napper"?