Comments on: Sundown Treatments

By: Janny

Janny — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:59:42 +0000

I have read most of these posts and everyone’s situation seems to be different while dealing with a loved one inflicted with Sundowners Syndrome. The common thread, though, is that most are miserable with this disease and there are no solutions that really work. As I deal with this in my father, I pray everyday that the Lord takes him. He is so very miserable, in a skilled living facility where the caregivers are doing the best that they can do under the circumstances. After reading about the treatments, the information points to behavior types of solutions. What a joke. Bottom line, no one really knows how to take care of it and are grasping at straws for solutions.
I remember a “King of Queens” episode where Jerry Stiller hears his daughter talking about getting healthier and eating better. He pipes in and says – “In my day, we had a massive coronary at 55, died, and we liked it!!” What is the obsession about living longer – especially when quality of life is diminished? Sundowners in the elderly dementia patient is not quality of life. It is time to re-evaluate living a long life, especially when that longevity is dependent upon pharmaceuticals and in the meantime putting a strain on healthcare and the finances of the elderly.

By: dani

dani — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:48:47 +0000

My husband, age 75, was recently diagnosed with bone cancer. His vertabrae are crushing and causing severe pain so they put him on methadone. Since then his dementia has increased with nights of agitation and aggression. He talks to imaginary people all night and continually tries to leave the house. His father had Sundowners during his final months. Does anyone know if this can be hereditary? I am his sole caregiver and have no help at all. Everyone says to let me know if I can do anything, but when you ask for help specifically, there’s always some reason why they cannot do that or that it isn’t convenient for them right now.

By: Susan

Susan — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 22:34:20 +0000

Thank you for your post. I will talk to her Dr. about this.

By: nancy

nancy — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:15:12 +0000

seroquel and risperdal have stopped the agitation and combativeness ~~be careful with ativan and xanax they increase agitation in this population ~~~~

By: Dawn

Dawn — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:33:14 +0000

Hi,

I haven’t read these posts since my last entry so I’ve forgotten what has been said. Granny had 2 weeks of serious Sundowner’s and barely slept at all. Then it just stopped. The doctor is checking to make sure she doesn’t have a UTI. I’m sure her sleep disruption will occur again. My neighbor sent me an article on fish oils and coconut oils alleviating symptoms of Dementia. Granny did do much better when I gave her Omega 3,6,9 fish oils (do not use junk from a non-health food store) from a reputable health store like Whole Foods. I tried the coconut oil but only a few times. Some have had lots of luck with it. Get organic, unrefined, cold-pressed, coconut oil if you try it. You can look on Amazon if you can’t leave the house. I’m going to start both again tomorrow.

I went to a board and care today to inquire about placement and mentioned that my grandmother had been an alcoholic. She said that every single client she had with Dementia had also been alcoholic. Coincidental?

Granny is no longer able to identify herself in the mirror and now has a new companion that she talks to day and night. It has been good and bad. She also argues with “her” and reports that “the lady” is following her around or won’t let her use the bathroom. She got mad at me twice because I wouldn’t make “that lady” leave. Fun stuff. The doctor wanted to put her on an anti-psychotic which was for hallucinations. She is not hallucinating, she just cannot comprehend that it’s her reflection she is seeing. When I looked up his recommendation, there are lawsuits galore and the pharmaceutical company KNOWS it does nothing for people with Dementia. Zyprexa was the name. All of the anti-psychotics can cause DEATH in patients with Dementia. Please do your homework before listening to the doctors who just want to drug our loved ones. The doctors are now walking pharmaceutical sales reps who get kickbacks for addicting the elderly (legal drug pushers).

For those of us with adrenal exhaustion (aka adrenal insufficiency, adrenal fatigue), I’ve found Standard Process supplements nourish the adrenals and give extra energy. Without them I can barely wake up in the morning; I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. You can buy some of them on Amazon or through many chiropractors. I use Drenamin and Adrenal Complex. For me it makes a world of difference. All of us with constant, long-term stress probably have this. In order to take care of others, we must take care of ourselves first. It’s better for everyone in the long run. It’s also easier said than done.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:14:45 +0000

I finally got 13 1/2 hours sleep. I showed my Mom the time when she woke me up 2 times last night. I also saved the Melatonin for the middle of the night. Instead of giving it to her at bedtime. IT WORKED! Thanks be to GOD! I feel like can actually manage this now. I thank Steve the Webmaster, for his nice email. He gave me encouragement to fight again. I hope in posting this it may help someone else. I feel like I can cope, if I figure out some solutions to this Sundowners Syndrome.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:13:30 +0000

I have learned SO MUCH reading your stories today. I didnt know what my Mom had, with her Alzheimers, that has kept her up ALL night for days now. (Im in a state of EXAUSTION! Its Sundowners. I have Fibromyalgia, COPD, crohns, Spincter of Oddi dysfuntion, cfs, and other health problems. I am the only 24/7 caregiver for my Mom. I have NO HELP. My Mom has lived with me for a year, and 1/2 now nearly. She is very appreciative, of what I do. There were times when I first had to move her in with me, that she got violent. She is now on Haloperadol, and that helps her stay calmer. My biggest problem is lack of sleep, for her, and me. I am trying Melatonin, and at times it seems to help. Its Spring Valley 10mlg. I feel for ALL of you. No matter what we do, this is NOT easy to deal with. I have loved my Moms stories from years ago. But she cannot remember, 2 minutes ago. I pray for ALL of us, for some new help, in the drug world, for this part of Alzheimers, and dementia.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:44:42 +0000

My grandmother is 88 and I’ve been caring for her for the past 4 years in her home where she has lived for 53 years. She was diagnosed with Dementia just before I moved in to help her, but I saw evidence of it many years before (she would do things backwards). My mom and aunt died of cancer about 15 years ago. I’m 43. Fortunately grandma has financial resources and one son who lives out of state. Her son has wanted to place her in a facility since diagnosis but is very willing to let me do what I can to keep her at home. I made a promise to grandma (I will NEVER make another promise as long as I live!) when I was about 17 that I would make sure she stayed at home and never went into a facility. I may not be able to keep that promise. Grandma is still ambulatory and relatively self-sufficient with assistance (knock on wood) but Sundowners has just begun over the past few months. It started with, “when is someone coming to pick me up to take me home” and variations of that on a regular basis around 7-10pm. I have seen her standing at my door or in the middle of the room, not saying a word, and waiting for me to acknowledge her. It really scares me. I told her one time that it scared me and she said that if it scared me how did I think it made her feel. Wow. She isn’t usually with it enough to come up with that. Made me think. I have to say after reading several sites I am lucky in some respects; she goes to bed around 8pm-10pm and I wake her up by 9am. She usually sleeps through the night but we have some nights of pacing the house and standing at my door, or her usual rummaging through her drawers at all hours of the night. I was having a lot of trouble with her wanting to go to bed the moment the sun went down so her son told me to let her go to bed when she wanted. I tried that but she would wake up during the night and keep me up. Now I let her go to bed at 6pm where she watches an old movie until 8pm or so. So far it seems to be working but who knows how long it will last, as I can continuously see changes in her functioning/behavior. Before she goes to sleep I tell her that she is home, in her own room and in her own bed, and most of the time it works. If I forget to tell her she walks down the hall to ask when someone is coming to take her home. I don’t know how it works because she doesn’t remember anything. Maybe on some level things with an emotional component sink in.

She has had mini strokes in the past and has vascular issues and is on multiple meds including Coumadin. Personally I think the medication is what caused the strokes and subsequent Dementia. She has had A LOT of complications from her medicine, including fainting spells from her Aricept, which I finally took her off of. It seems everyone knows that Aricept can cause fainting except the doctors and the hospitals even though it’s listed as a side effect. Thank God for the internet. I know her condition will deteriorate even more and I’ve already warned her I may not be able to keep my promise. I’m already tired. I feel I’ve sacrificed so much already, as I have no life whatsoever. I’ve given up almost everything. I know I don’t have it as hard as many people so I guess I should be grateful. I feel resentful sometimes, very sad, scared that it may happen to me and I have no one to care for me, depressed, a lack of motivation and am apathetic about most things in life right now. Grandma was there for me when I ran away from an abusive home at age 17 and she let me live with her until I graduated high school and left for college. I feel I need to be there for her but am not sure at what personal sacrifice. I’m also caring for a 22-year-old cat with kidney disease whom I’ve had since college. It seems a bit overwhelming at times and then I feel selfish and guilty, especially after reading other people’s stories. I’ve never felt guilt before in my life, I always try to do what I feel is right. Now I live with it daily.

I do think diet plays a role in her functioning, I know she does better when her emotional needs are met, lots of attention, kindness, music from her era, dancing, old movies, photo albums, and picture books (she likes Norman Rockwell art). She also reviews the family geneology booklet EVERY night and sleeps with the booklet and her purse by her side.

I’ve tried some alternative methods of healing and now I’m trying deer antler velvet. I do believe the body has the capacity to heal itself if given the proper tools. I think it will not be possible as long as she’s on multiple meds, and her dr’s are adamant about keeping her medicated. I have read that b vitamins, especially b-12, help with Dementia but I’ve also read that seniors don’t absorb it well. Doesn’t seem to do anything. I tried Lecithin and fish oil. Lecithin doesn’t seem to do much alone but the fish oil helps and maybe both help in combination with each other. She has a mouthful of mercury fillings, drank tap water for years filled with flouride, and used aluminum pans. She was an alcoholic for years and never drank water. Dehydration can cause all sorts of brain malfunctions. I wish I could find a solution. I feel the health care and pharmaceutical industry make too much money on this problem, just like cancer, and there’s more money without a resolution so I don’t ever expect them to find one. Maybe it’s those vaccinations…they cause autism in children, why not Dementia in the elderly? Flu shot anyone?

I’m not sure of the purpose of writing this and I apologize for it being so long. My friends don’t want to hear it anymore. I thought it might make me feel better to write it but it doesn’t. It did help me to read other stories and I identified with many so maybe this will be of help to someone else. Thanks everyone for your contributions.

By: Deb

Deb — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:29:00 +0000

My dad fell on January 1, 2012. He is 78 years old. He severed the quadracep tendon in his left leg and had surgery to repair it on the 13th. Prior to his fall, he had some “normal” forgetfulness and confusion for a 78 year old man. But prior to the surgery, just 13 days later, he was more and more confused. After his surgery, he became extremely confused, had halusinations and would get extremely beligerant. This behavior was as far from what my dad is normally like as it could be. He’s been in a rehab facility since January 17th. He needs physical therapy for the leg. His mind is better during the day. In the past week he has probably gotten to be at leas 90% himself. But between 5:30 – 6:30 pm…..he goes crazy. This doesn’t happen every night but more than not. He gets very strong, sees things that are just not there, believes things are true when they never happened and I feel sure could hurt someone if he had the chance. The nurse administrator told my brother yesterday that they feel sure he has sundowners. The worst news we could hear. My dad had a brother that developed sundowners after two major surgeries close together. My dad has told me many, many times that he sure hope he would never end up like his brother. And here he is. How do you take him home if he could be dangerous to himself or my mom? But how do you leave him in a nursing hom when is mind is great during the day? My brother, mother and I are rotating the care during the day. My brother usually stays every night until dad is asleep. The better dad gets during the day, the more he wants to go home. His therapy is going real good and physically, he could probably go him in a couple weeks. We feel we owe him the chance to go home and see if that will help him. Everytime he gets an attach of sundowners, he is begging to go home. So we’re thinking if we take him home and he can be with his dog and back in his own bed, maybe it will lessen the attacks. We’re scared he will hurt himself or our mom. My brother and I have decided when he does go home we will stay nights for a while. But we both work and I live about 70 miles away. We can not afford to hire anyone to stay with them. But I can’t stand the thought of putting him in a home. We are trusting the Lord to lead us and direct us in his care. But we would sure appreciate your prayers and any advice you may have!
Thanks and God Bless us all!!!

By: Debbie

Debbie — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:40:10 +0000

Go to SS, they will tell you if she qualifies for any help at your house, they can send somebody to take care during the time you are at work.