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TexasAnn Asked March 2019

My mother, 94, sleeps all the time. I try to keep her up during the day and to get her to the table for meals 3 times a day. Should I wake her?

My question is should I just let her do what she want, stay in bed, etc.

cwillie Mar 2019
She needs to be wakened anyway for toileting or to change her incontinence products, to eat, to take her medications, to wash, and it is just easier and more natural to work with a normal routine. If she is still walking then you need to encourage that, even if it is only shuffling from bed to the table to the recliner, because taking care of someone who loses that ability is a whole different level of care.

SueC1957 Mar 2019
No, I don’t think so. It’s important to get them out of bed, if only to fall asleep in a recliner in the living room where there is more action and stimulation.

Remember how in years past, they would keep hospitalized patients in bed for long periods? Well, they stopped that because it greatly increases your chances of bed sores, blood clots (deadly), pneumonia (can be deadly), intestinal slow down or stoppage, muscle atrophy and a host of other physical problems. Better to keep them up (like a recliner or comfy padded chair) during the day than let them waste away in bed. In the end it will be a lot more work and care on your end for her.

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