My Mom has dementia and has started getting up at 1 and 2 am in the morning and will not go back to bed. What can I do?

There was an earlier post about melatonin. Maybe it would be helpful for your mom.

My mom does this as well. 93 and well down the dementia path. Because she lives alone, no mild sedative can be prescribed. So we just deal with as best we can, given the circumstances.

My dad did the same thing, and I got him a clock that clearly had AM and PM. that has 90% worked. Make sure there are no lights on that might wake her, aside form nightlights in the outlets on the way to the bathroom.

Talk with her doctor he/she might prescribe a mild sleeping medication. We had to do that for our aunt. She has dementia/Alzheimer's and prefers sleeping on the couch. She says her bed is too lonely, I told her that she doesn't have any company on the couch either ;-) She looks at me out of the corner of her eye, gets a grin on her face and calls me a smart a$$. In this line of work you have to find and relish the moments of joy.

My husband goes through this too. He has several things we are dealing with, but the Lewy Body Dementia is the biggest now. He becomes agitated if I don't give him his meds and start early in the afternoon with those. If I keep to the schedule, he is mostly okay and sleeps until morning. Of course, he does wake up to use the commode and I have to help him with that. But he goes right back to bed. Check with your doctor for maybe Xanax or something to help with the sleep.

One to two a.m. is a magical hour for elderly people, with dementia or not. I'm working on my third elderly person (over 85) and believe me they ALL have to get up to go to the bathroom at 2:am! And yes, they can't sleep in their beds because at that time of night they are not tired -- so stop changing beds and arguing. Both my aunt (who was technically blind used to keep dropping her cane -- and never tripped over it!) and now my MIL who is 96, ended up sleeping exclusively on the couch. My MIL doesn't even go into her bedroom any more but has turned her living room into her all-purpose room day and night (except for the kitchen, of course). I live in the apartment under my MIL, and she wakes me up every night at 1:30-2:00am wandering around, going to the bathroom and back again. I used to worry she would hurt herself, but after a while I came to realize she was a bit more attuned to her activities than I was. So, unless you are seriously concerned about wandering out the door or tripping over something in the night, I'd say let her wander around. She will tire herself out soon enough and you will find her dozing on the couch or in a chair when you get up.

She has entered the phase where she needs 24/7 care, so you either need a night aide or you need to find a memory care facility for her.