I work in a care home. Over the past few weeks staff have been giving a resident her sleeping pill at 4:30. I feel it's not right. Any advice?

Me and mom have actual discussed swapping my dads AM/PM meds because of him having sundowners so bad. Maybe and only maybe the staff are seeing if they can actual help not hurt. I'm truly not upholding and if the staff is trying to make things easy on themselves may God have mercy. Caregiving should be a passion not a paycheck

4:30 pm is on the swing shift, right? Could be that someone on the swing shift is trying to pull something on the graveyard shift.

That seems a bit early. Depending on the time the patients go to bed, it would make sense to give it around 6:30 or 7 pm. It can take half an hour to take effect. Since they are elderly, medications are metabolized more slowly and the effects can last longer. Maybe the nurses have found, if they give the pill much later, the patient is too groggy in the morning, when it's time to get up.

Not a bad idea to bring it up with the Director of Nurses if you're worried about it. I wouldn't "finger" the nurse but would rather be curious about the schedules for sleeping pills.

I agree that it doesn't make much sense Josephin, I think you should bring it to the attention of the duty nurse or the DON.