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My wife forgetting: Diagnosed with MCI
Caregivers: Dementia | Last Active: Oct 12, 2021 | Replies (65)Comment receiving replies
anyone hear of a good explanation for "sun downer's"? I've been seeing it more frequently and I'm curious why it happens? I'm thinking it's because she gets tired easier than myself. I remember my mother-in-law also going through "sun downer's" when she lived with us.
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@tunared Dan, here's an explanation and some tips from Mayo Clinic's Dr. Jonathan Graff-Radford
- Sundowning: Late-day confusion https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/expert-answers/sundowning/faq-20058511
The exact cause of this behavior is unknown. Interesting to note (this is just my opinion), is that young children and babies often get fussy at this time of day or evening too. I've often wondered if sundowning is related to diverted attentions. It's a time when the caregiver has put in a full day of caring and taking care of what needs to get down, supper still has to be made and patience starts to fray. Normally, it's the time when people can leave their workplace. A caregiver cannot. The person with dementia innately senses changes. Well you know the rest of the story.
Might there be something that you could change in your and your wife's routine to create extra calm at the sundown hour? Perhaps having supper made in advance or keeping it simple? What things trigger her?