You might find yourself dealing with far more of your senior’s needs overnight than you might expect.
This can be particularly true if your elderly family member is dealing with any of these sorts of health issues. Finding a solution might also be one of your biggest priorities.
Insomnia
Insomnia is a huge problem for older adults for a variety of different reasons. Your elderly family member might be taking medications that keep her awake or she might have other difficulties, like a poor sleep schedule that has her out of synch. This can be a problem for you even if you don’t live with her, especially if she calls you in the middle of the night.
Chronic Pain
Pain makes all sorts of normal activities difficult, especially including sleep. Talk to your elderly family member’s doctor about how you’re helping her to manage any pain she’s experiencing. Some methods of pain management work better during the day and others are more effective for helping your senior to sleep. Your senior may also find that sleeping with pillows, cushioned mattress toppers, and other assistive devices helps.
Overactive Bladder
If your elderly family member has issues with an overactive bladder, she may find that she’s getting up far more often overnight than she really should have to. This interferes with her sleep and can be problematic in other ways. If your senior takes medications at night that makes her drowsy or wobbly on her feet, this is a situation that is ripe for a serious fall.
Dementia
Dementia creates other problems at night. Your elderly family member might battle insomnia because of her dementia and find that she is up in the middle of the night doing things that wake you up or keep you from sleeping. She might watch TV loudly, for instance, or decide that the middle of the night is the perfect time to rearrange the kitchen. This can be frustrating and upsetting for both of you.
One of the best ways to manage overnight issues for your senior is to bring in senior care providers. This is especially true when you are not able to get any rest overnight because of your senior’s needs. That’s not sustainable and will send you careening into burnout very quickly. Senior care providers can take the night shift, letting you rest up for taking care of your senior during the day.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in West Hollywood, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Help. Serving All of Los Angeles County. Call Us Today (888) 989-7388
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