Are you sure you want to exit? Your progress will be lost.
Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
✔
I acknowledge and authorize
✔
I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
✔
I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
My father is 92 with dementia and I wish he would sleep. He roams around all hours of the night and doesn't sleep much in the day, either. I am exhausted!
My mom has dementia and is 83. She sleeps from 540pm to 7 am. They go thru a lot during the day. A lot we don't even know about. If she is not overly medicated then I think it's normal for the course based upon my reading and experiences. I think at 93 she. Probably doesn't do much snywY. Let her rest.
Lynette you clearly ARE worried or you wouldn't have asked the question. Give the docs a call and ask them if this is normal - given the medication she is on. If this has come on suddenly I would be worried too if it has been a very gradual progression then not so much. BUT if there has been a change of meds recently then I would definitely ask the question your Mum may be experiencing a negative interaction between two drugs. Before you get all angsty about the doctor some meds are fine together in one person but not in another and only through vigilance can a doctor know although you should ALWAYS monitor someone when a change of meds occurs in case this does happen.
I hope that helps you make a decision about what to do next
18 hours a day--that's a lot of hours. The problem with being in bed all the time is decreased mobility will give a higher predisposition toward clots or pneumonia. Muscles, bones get weaker and higher risk for falls. She sounds bedridden already. Of course you did not give enough data--how long she been like this or is this a sudden change..if it's a sudden change, get her to the Emergency Room.
My mom spends lot of time in bed much of it sleeping but she is wide awake when I wake her in the afternoon. I thought I was interrupting her nap and tried going earlier but she was in bed asleep at 10:00 a.m., too.
I think it is a way of retreating from the confusion of memory loss. It has been along time since she was able to read a book because she cannot remember the plot or who the characters are. I notice that she doesn't have TV on anymore and I think she just can't follow what is happening on the news and forget about films--or can she remember how to turn it on! It has been years since she was able to change channels. Conversation is tricky because she can't remember what people have said--but then no one else where she is can either.
So wha tis there to stay awake for? She still can and loves to play cards so that is what we do. But the Others can't be playing cards all day long. So, she sleeps.
She's 90 and quite content with things. What can you do?
I have personal and professional experience with this. My grandma who is 88 has dementia and she does sleep a lot, but 18 hours seems excessive. People in the later phases of dementia do sleep more. I wonder if she is sleeping some of the time out of boredom? Is she in a facility? Is she being cared for at home? Are you still able to connect with her in some way? Try bring in old music, or movie, pictures and dolls into her life and engage her. There are book about engaging those with dementia. I would call your doctor but I would try to increase her engagement and see what happens.
Dementia takes on a life of its own and each individual is unique. Having said that her brain is not making enough synapses in order to "talk" to other cells, and the serotonin level is depleted (probably). This neurotransmitter is necessary to ward off depression (causing the sleepiness). Since this is a terminal illness, you know her best and what you need to do. There probably isn't much you can do except wake her up to give her fluids. Taking any antidepressant will only constipate her and also make her sleep more.
Certainly 18 hours is considered excessive. Check with your doctor on her meds, blood sugar levels, and diet. What type of mental stimulation is she getting? Is she losing weight? Is she in a facility or at home...either way, are attempts being made to get her up and dressed and sitting? Or is it too difficult...or easier just to leave it the way it is? When was the last time you had her on a routine that was different than this? Investigating this and documenting it as soon as you can will ease your worries and prepare you for what is coming next. Good Luck!
When a relative came to stay at my mother's house (she has dementia) - before she got really bad - he said she was up all night puttering around the house. Wrapping things up in newspaper, taping the bundles shut, and then writing long long notes to go with them! Then, during the day when we had expensive paid caregivers come in, she was sound asleep! They had to wake her up, clean her up, get her dressed and 'ready for the day'. Can't win.
My mother had LBD and she slept a lot towards the end. She was sleeping more and more to the point she would sleep the whole time I would visit. I think it is just the process of the dementia.
If she is in a facility see should be woke up for meals. I would with dementia patients and they do sleep a lot. When the disease progress they tend to sleep more and not want to get up or be brothered we just have to try to encourge them and make attempts not just take no as an answer.
my mom was doing the same. I switched her drs. to mine and he did a full blood work up. she is very anemic and very low vitamin b 12. she got a shot and boosted up her iron.. the very next day there was such an improvement! seemed to be full of energy, out of bed by 8 and ready to go!! maybe your mom needs a complete work up? might just be low blood counts?
My mother is 87 with dementia and she sleeps all day and most of the night. She is awake during the evening for about 3-4 hours. We wake her and have her come to the table for meals, appetite is good. I have mentioned this to the doctor and they think it is normal. I encourage her to tdrink water due to all the meds she takes. I always wonder how she sleeps all night, after sleeping all day.
Good heavens, when one reaches into their 80's and into their 90's, they have beaten the odds.... they are tired, they have lived a very long life.... they want to rest.
My parents would brag about needing only 6 hours of sleep, but they failed to count all the daily naps which would have risen those 6 hours up to 12-14 hours. I would visit them and always catch them dozing away in the living room no matter what time of the day.
When you get to a certain high age, your eyesight tends to fade, your hearing isn't as clear, and boy your bones sure do ache. Sleeping is comfort for them. Let them sleep.
Sounds like my mother. 92 w/ dementia. She's in bed 20 hrs a day, altho doesn't sleep all that time. Maybe turn the TV to the weather channel. Same "plot" & they repeat it all day! She tells me about the storms in all the places her children live. (8 of us) I could never play cards w/ her, but she plays solitaire on a computer. Her only aches & pains, however, are from the parts of her body that she sleeps on all the time. I got one of those foam "eggshell" mattress toppers and that helped.
Before he passed last August, my Dad was in a Memory Care facility for 2.5 years. There was a daily routine, just to avoid this excessive sleeping. People were gotten up and dressed for breakfast. In fact, breakfast was always cooked directly in the kitchen at each cottage, so as to create the wonderful smells to entice people wanting to get up. The other meals were cooked in a central kitchen and brought to each cottage to be reheated and put together. Up and dressed was required daily. There were many different short activities that took place between the meals, to encourage being up, and needing to take a walk from one place to another, for a little exercise. There was a nap time allowed between lunch and dinner...kind of an open free time daily, without an activity scheduled...and some residents napped then. However, unless ill, no one went back into their rooms during the day time. They were in the living and dining room area of each cottage, or going back and forth to an activity to keep them up and stimulated. This encouraged better sleeping during the night too. Of course, at a certain end of life time, people normally do sleep more, nap more as others have stated, but in the facility, that simply was dealt with by having some residents who got ready for bed right after dinner, so to bed first in the evening. My Dad died at 93 yrs after a fall that caused an unrepairable break. Until that time, he was up and going most all day long. While at home, he was sleeping excessively through out the day, so I assume, some of this is just due to lack of stimulation for those at home too.
WHAT IS YOUR FEAR? That she might die in her sleep? If she is at peace within herself, please let nature take its course. Work on acceptance and be grateful for the years you have had together. Make her as comfortable as possible. Use mouth swabs to wet her lips if she is breathing through her mouth and her lips look dry.
I have noticed this with my 91 yo mum, as well. She does not have dementia but does seem to sleep A LOT! I don't think she gets a full night's sleep and often sleeps on and off during the day. She will be reading something and boom! asleep for hours then wake up for about another hour and boom! back to sleep again. She seems content but it's worrisome to me. It seems sometimes she's just bored and prefers to sleep. I"m not sure but I totally get why you're concerned. I am, too.
My mom has vascular dementia and was sleeping 18 hours a day, too. The first time she was sleeping that long, her new doctor took her off a couple of medications. He said that it's okay for her to sleep in every now and then, but not every day. She started sleeping less, but still about 12 hours a day. I figured she deserves to sleep in at her age! A couple of months ago, she started sleeping longer every day. Whenever she does that, I get in a panic about her becoming bedridden. (Plus, it gets rather annoying begging and cajoling someone 20 times to get up every single day.) I took her back to the doctor, but he saw her in the afternoon and she had been up for a couple of hours and was her normal self. He ran some tests to rule out other problems, but said her sleep-wake cycle had probably just gotten off. He did tell her that she needs to be up longer to keep her brain healthy and to avoid other health problems. The other thing I had worried about was bed sores. He said she apparently moves around enough in her sleep to prevent those. I agree with those who said you should take her to the doctor for a check up. If her health is fine and she's not depressed, then finding new things for her to do may help. I got a lovely book recently titled "You say Goodbye, We say Hello: The Montessori Method for Positive Dementia Care" and it has some great ideas that you might find useful. Best of luck to you and your mom.
Glad you are awake this morning FF. During my extended hospital stay I was very willing to get up at 5am but by 5pm I was very unco -operative about not going back to bed. For the same reason I flatly refused to go to rehab! Sure I would do the exercises but I certainly did not want to be socialized. When I got home I got rid of the PT by about her third visit by demonstrating how I could walk down and up the basement stairs. "Wow" she said " most people have to stop and rest before they climb back up, but you did it all at once. Same with the bath aide who made her first visit after i had been home ten days. She suggested we start with a chair bath. "Nope we are getting in the tub" I had the extended shower chair in the bath, stripped off and washed myself, although i did let her do my back. She was such a sweet older woman and remarked that she had never seen anyone do it that way before. After her visit i dispensed with a bath aide. So to sum up I like to sleep when I need to during the day, If I don't lean back hubby finds me a couple of hours later sitting up fast asleep with my hands still on the keyboard. I am now 77 and don't plan on giving up but also ready to accept the things I can no longer do. The one thing I really hate being called is geriatric. I realize geriatricians specialize in the care of the elderly but please don't make me go to one. Let the poor old Moms sleep but that does not mean letting them rot, there has to be a happy medium there somewhere. For me it is not Bingo. Some of the hospital aides found it amusing to see a woman in her 70 sitting up in bed typing away on her laptop.
Sleeping a lot is considered part of the disease. Their minds are overwhelmed with confusion and sleep provides escape and peace. My mom is 91 and over the year she went from 12 hour nights to 14, then 16 and now up to 18. The doctor told me there is no underlying illness, she still eats breakfast and lunch and consumes water so if sleeping is what she enjoys, use that time for "me".
My understanding of this is that we enter and leave life sleeping a lot. It is the natural arc of life. There are exceptions to every rule and some people do get restless but generally speaking they are shutting down.
Veronica91....well I am another one of those! I will be 72 in June and I spend a LOT of hours sitting here in front of the lap top. And, as long as I knew I was able, post any hospitalization, I would be doing all I could for myself too!! Use it or lose it, this retired RN says. But it can sure be different for those who have a lot of health issues and ARE a lot older! I've seen it so much with my two elderly parents. My husband, is my age, and with his early Parkinson's, I am pushing him about having PT and an exercise program and keeping his muscles strong while he is still early on and self care....just so he can keep up his ambulation as long as possible. Nothing to be gained by saying that one has a chronic problem and will decline and then sit in the chair and let it happen!! I do think, for me, however, that as I get older and more weaker, I could adjust to an Assisted Living place with my hubby. It wouldn't be bingo for me either, but I'd not sit in my room alone!
my mom is 84 and has what I would call mild dementia. she can dress and shower herself and if she is hungry she will make herself a sandwich or cereal and coffee. She only wants to sleep. If left to do so it would be all the time. My sister lives with her in another state. Sis works third shift so mom sleeps from midnight to late into the afternoon. gets up for a couple of hours and wants to go back to sleep. She does word searches and adult coloring books that I sent her but would rather sleep. her take is "I'm tired, I've done it all these years now I just want to sleep. Dad passed from LBD a couple of years ago which contributes to her depression and desire to avoid all thing social and her desire is to just sleep. Our concern and discussion with her is lack of mobility and muscle atrophy still she just wants to sleep. Sis wakes her to take meds but that is an effort. It is a merry-go-round everyday with no real answers. He check ups and labs are always ok so we don't know what else to do.
my mom is 96 and does sleep a lot too. She is on NO meds. Takes vitamins. Gets up to eat two or three to times a day. Will watch a little TV with me, but likes to go and lay down a lot. She has dementia. If we go for a ride I have to make sure I don't over stimulate her, or she has a hard time going to sleep. She will hallucinate. So I try and keep life mostly just quiet for her . She still goes to the bathroom on her own.
My father has a weak heart so tires easily. We try to get him to walk a bit but he gets winded. Really a tight rope there. The more they sleep then the more they can get tired and more unstimulated mentally. Also studies are showing that increased sleep leads to weight loss (likely because they are not eating nor exercising so muscles are just wasting away). If in their 80"s I would say try to keep her up for a bit but in the 90's I agree with just letting her rest. Probably taking everything she's got just to keep breathing. My opinion. Some 990 year olds can ride bikes. How is her heart? Depression?
Unless she's going through the dying process, this is definitely not normal. It sounds like she has depression and maybe a lack of motivation. You may want to get her checked out by a doctor ASAP.
If it has come on suddenly or over a few days, start taking her temp daily (if you have not already been doing so) and get her in to urgent care or her doctor asap. Sleeping a lot is one of mom's symptoms when she has a UTI. The last time her temp was 98.5 so the nurse was sure she did not have a fever but when i would go to help her dress, she radiated heat. Since I had not yet been able to get a baseline I knew it wes high for her but not how high. In addition to UTI she had traces of Salmonella in her urine. Only found out that 3 weeks later when the county was following up and wanted to know what she hat eaten the week b4 and where it was purchased.
I was just thinking of something else besides the dying process that can also cause fatigue is lack of nutrition and hydration. If you think about it, put your self in the shoes of someone who doesn't have very good nutrition and someone who may be dehydrated. You would be pretty fatigued because your body would be tired and trying to conserve energy to survive. This is just something else to consider. What you can do is have her doctor run a special blood test to see where she is nutritionally. If she happens to be deficient in any area, she can either be put on a special diet or given boost or ensure
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
I hope that helps you make a decision about what to do next
I think it is a way of retreating from the confusion of memory loss. It has been along time since she was able to read a book because she cannot remember the plot or who the characters are. I notice that she doesn't have TV on anymore and I think she just can't follow what is happening on the news and forget about films--or can she remember how to turn it on! It has been years since she was able to change channels. Conversation is tricky because she can't remember what people have said--but then no one else where she is can either.
So wha tis there to stay awake for? She still can and loves to play cards so that is what we do. But the Others can't be playing cards all day long. So, she sleeps.
She's 90 and quite content with things. What can you do?
My parents would brag about needing only 6 hours of sleep, but they failed to count all the daily naps which would have risen those 6 hours up to 12-14 hours. I would visit them and always catch them dozing away in the living room no matter what time of the day.
When you get to a certain high age, your eyesight tends to fade, your hearing isn't as clear, and boy your bones sure do ache. Sleeping is comfort for them. Let them sleep.
For the same reason I flatly refused to go to rehab! Sure I would do the exercises but I certainly did not want to be socialized. When I got home I got rid of the PT by about her third visit by demonstrating how I could walk down and up the basement stairs. "Wow" she said " most people have to stop and rest before they climb back up, but you did it all at once. Same with the bath aide who made her first visit after i had been home ten days. She suggested we start with a chair bath. "Nope we are getting in the tub" I had the extended shower chair in the bath, stripped off and washed myself, although i did let her do my back. She was such a sweet older woman and remarked that she had never seen anyone do it that way before. After her visit i dispensed with a bath aide.
So to sum up I like to sleep when I need to during the day, If I don't lean back hubby finds me a couple of hours later sitting up fast asleep with my hands still on the keyboard.
I am now 77 and don't plan on giving up but also ready to accept the things I can no longer do. The one thing I really hate being called is geriatric.
I realize geriatricians specialize in the care of the elderly but please don't make me go to one.
Let the poor old Moms sleep but that does not mean letting them rot, there has to be a happy medium there somewhere. For me it is not Bingo.
Some of the hospital aides found it amusing to see a woman in her 70 sitting up in bed typing away on her laptop.