How to Deal With Signs of Sundown Syndrome

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over 7 years, said...

24 hour Walmart helped with My father Arthur during this time of his dementia. It would last a week. I think dehydration can cause all kinds of problems with the elderly. Illness was another cause for my father Arthur.. My advice to family care givers. Go with the Flow.


almost 8 years, said...

any recommendations to help with sundown syndrome?


about 8 years, said...

Hi my name is Joanne my dad has dementia an sometimes thinks someone is trying to come in an rob him he tried to climb out our bathroom window I had to put him in a nursing home for a little while I really don't like the atmosphere in the nursing home I would much rather keep him home in his home with his family I would like to know what I can do to help him with sundowning is there any medication also available


about 8 years, said...

Can a person have sundowners due to being agitated over taking their medication. This person has n Parkinson's disease and does not want to take their medication. Also a new medication was added, Around bedtime she gets very agitated and delusional, but still knows what's going on and who we are and does not want to take her medication.


about 8 years, said...

My name is Gussie I am not able to be there for my parents . My dad and little sister takes care of mom I try to keep in touch with them so that I know what is happening.my family is good at letting me know how mom is doing I have started reading about sundown syndrome I know it is very hard for you all my dad is 86 years of age and I have another sister every other weekend she took turns making food for mom and dad AND ALL I CAN IS ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL CARE TAKERS GOD BLESS YOU ALL . and I also thank you and love you all.Gussie


about 9 years, said...

My mother-in-law is 94 and my husband (her son) and I live directly behind her home. She lives alone and my husband still works and I am retired. In early December, we sat down with her and suggested some money be taken out of her account and put in accounts in my husbands name and in my name to protect her money. She said that was a wonderful suggestion and we went ahead. She got the bank statement in the mail shortly thereafter, and ever since, she has accused us of writing checks for ourselves and stealing her money. There is NO explaining to her - she is so angry - tells us that if we don't put that money back, she will cut us off so fast our heads will spin and we won't have a pot to pee in. She misplaces things all the time, and then accuses me of stealing her things. She usually has these outbursts in the evening, and by morning when I go over to get meds for her, she is fine and thanks me for helping her. This is so very hard for her son and I. We try not to argue with her. We usually just walk away and walk home, crying on our way. She has always been a very independent woman, and was just in the hospital for 2 weeks and a rehab facility for another 2 weeks due to a bad infection and open ulcers on her legs. This is all new to us - it is already overwhelming - she insists on staying in her home - The accusations are so hurtful. We have always been there for her and helped her with anything she needed help with. We Take care of her huge yard - we do grocery shopping - we pay her bills - which she does NOT want us to do. She says she is perfectly capable of taking care of things by herself. We have had her mail forwarded to our home because she was misplacing bills and not paying things on time. How do others deal with this ? We are so sad - we cry together often - this is not the person we have known forever. This is a NEW person - she has never said a swear word in her life, but lately has been swearing at us quite often. This disease, Alzheimers, plus sundowning is horrible. How do others go about out daily life and not feel so sad and hurt ? We need to her from others out there and offer suggestions - Please ? Thank you and God Bless


about 9 years, said...

My mom has stage 4 colon cancer I think she is suffering from sundown syndrome she's in bed all the time sleeps all day then at night she wakes up every 2 hours feeling like she's falling and really agitated any suggestions????


about 9 years, said...

has anyone seen anything written on a correlation between Sundown Syndrome and dehydration? My father-in-law is very confused at times and water or gaterade will change that within a half hour period. he, like many older people, refuse to drink anything for fear they will lose bladder control.


about 9 years, said...

The entire article was very informative to me as,someone menioned it to me after observing my mon at a family gathering. I can relate,bu is there any fof this desease?


over 9 years, said...

Nothing to add at this point - I just learned about this syndrone yesterday and trying to stay abreast of dementia which exists in my household. It gave me more caring insight into this area (as much as I hate it). Thank you.


over 9 years, said...

My mom suffers from macular degeneration and dementia due to trauma. This article validates exactly what she's going through, and I want to bring it to her assisted living facility to see if we can work with the flourescent light therapy. You've given me hope!


almost 10 years, said...

My father had a bad fall hitting his head hard. He has sundowning and the article was very informing. I have never dealt with this before. Thank you for the information.


almost 10 years, said...

Wish this helped but he just turns off the lights, isn't hungry won't eat, paces and gets angry cuz he has to go somewhere and I'm not letting him.. Soothing soft voice makes no difference if he is amped up.. Only meds help and they do wonders..


about 11 years, said...

Thank you for the information in the article and the consice description! My mother was recently diagnosed with this Syndrome.


over 11 years, said...

this was very useful information. what do i do if i have it, which i think i do?


over 11 years, said...

I am helping an 86 year old woman to care for her 86 year old husband who has been diagnosed with mild-moderate dementia. This couple sleeps in separate bedrooms. Recently, Mr. D. has been reporting to his wife that he believes that he has been getting up in the middle of the night and walks around their apartment very confused and disoriented. He cannot locate where his wife is and eventually goes back to bed. Last night, Mr. D. got up in the middle of the night and this morning reported that he thought someone was trying to break-in to their apartment. He moved his motorized scooter in front of the door to block it and went back to bed upset and agitated. Again, he could not remember that his wife was in the next room.


over 11 years, said...

My Mom, at 89 with Parkinsons, has been suffering with sundowning for several months. Several things effect it. Ibuprofen is one drug that brings on worse symptoms. She has a bad back, so we were medicating her with Advil PM to help her pain and to sleep more comfortably. It had a reverse effect and she was up for hours each night with people coming to take her away. We stopped the Advil and she improved some, but continues to have "them" trying to do things to her at night. We gave her a stuffed puppy for her to cuddle and keep her company and one night we heard her yell, "Get out of here" and then heard something hit her bed railing. When we checked on her she was swinging her puppy by the tail and and getting rid of her visitors. Hey, whatever works. During the day Mom is quite sane and happy.


over 11 years, said...

OMG!!! I had not EVER heard of this particular syndrome until today. I had to research it and I see so much of this in my mother and also see that I have handled the situation incorrectly. Thanks for the information.


over 11 years, said...

yes im a care-giver and i appricate information my dad has dimentia, participation


over 11 years, said...

My aunt (95) is resistant to everything I've tried to prevent her sundowning. I shine a SAD light on her every morning - my house is so lit up in the evenings, a plane could land without difficulty - she goes to daycare twice weekly - she eats well - I play music, we watch all her favorite tv shows. In fact, she is so pleasant and happy, and when the sun goes down, she says, "well, I'd better get home. I left all the doors open." No matter if I offer to take her home in the morning or if I suddenly remember that she did in fact lock all the doors, she says no, she needs to get home and take a bath (she hasn't bathed in a couple of years, just lets me sponge her off) and iron her uniforms for work tomorrow. I tell her that the uniforms are already done (even show them to her), to no avail. She 'packs' a couple of purses and tries to get out of the house. If she can't get out, sometimes she will get agitated and start screaming and hitting the walls with her cane. Or she'l just talk till 5 in the morning. Then she'll fall asleep till late in the evening or even till the next day. Any suggestions? I really don't want to give her antipsychotics, and in fact, do give her Tylenol PM more often than I like but it does put her out. Usually, that is. When she's very agitated, it might take 6 hours to work! I love my goofy little aunt dearly, but at this rate I'm afraid she's going to outlive me! I owe her everything. Anyone have any suggestions?


almost 12 years, said...

THe basic explination andf examples for comparison makes it simplew to recognize the problem in itsd simolist form. Thank You!


almost 12 years, said...

I WROTE IN A FEW MONTHS AGO & TOLD YOU HOW MY HUSBAND HAD SYMPTOMS OF DEMENTIA & I HAD ASKED HIS DOCTORS SEVERAL TIMES IF HE HAD IT. THEY ALL SAID NO. WELL A FEW MONTHS LATER HE PASSED AWAY & ON HIS DEATH CERTIFICATE THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS DEMENTIA-ALZHEIMER'S TYPE. IT ANGERS ME BECAUSE I FEEL THAT POSSIBLY A MEDICATION COULD HAVE HELPED HIM. CAN YOU PLEASE COMMENT. THANKS


almost 12 years, said...

Mom has many nights that the aides and nurses tell me she is up almost all night long. They have heard her talking/yelling. no one is there but her. Then she sleeps all day long. When at home, she'd rummage thru her own stuff, pack it up and I'd come and it looked as if she was robbed. I'd have to put everything back to normal. I'd ask why, I don't know. Maybe this light trick might work. I will ask the nurses.


almost 12 years, said...

Wow! This really 'hit the nail on the head' with my mom. I didn't understand why she got so paranoid at the end of the day. Thank you for helping me understand what's going on with her.


almost 12 years, said...

The explanation of Sundown Syndrome was helpful because I did not know about it.


almost 12 years, said...

My grandmother is 98 years old, and she goes through this thing that everybody is stealing everything from her, clothes, toilet paper, light bulbs, shoes, teeth, etc. I try to tell her that it is not happening but she does not believe me. Also, she refuses to take her blood pressure medicine, because she said that the doctor is trying to kill her with the medication. She said that she was not going to take it, and I told her not to. She knows that her pressure is high 170 over 100, but she will not take the medicine. The doctor said not to force her to take it and I don't.


about 12 years, said...

I was wondering would sun light, or lots of sunshine be as effective and florescent light? My wife does't like light as all due to sensitive eyes.


over 12 years, said...

Unfortunately all of the suggestions for creating happy memories are beyond my loved ones cognitive abilities at this stage of stroke damage plus Alzheimer's disease. Do you have any ideas for severely impaired people who cannot have any sharp objects and who don't have a good understanding of language/directions?


over 12 years, said...

Great explanation and advice on how to alleviate the problem.


over 12 years, said...

I do have a hopeful story for some, My father has parkinsons and had very little dementia... He fell and after his hospital stay (which put him in a confused state), he went to a nursing facility for rehab which put him in this confused state of mind for 24 hours a day. ..they said he did not want to sleep most nights and when I saw him in the day, he talked about people in the past.deceased brothers and sisters as if they were alive , etc...it was a very upsetting experience. I was told by his doctors since he did not have this type of confusion , when he did get back home to his sourrounding, he should get better. He also experienced SUndwon Syndrom, getting aggitated and a few time aggressive with the staff. He had a few set back there so stay for almost 90 day but the day that I brought him home, he snapped out of this state of mind he had been in. He know has been home about one month, and while showing displays of some dementia, it is nothing like he had while in the nursing home. HOpe this helps anyone who my be going through this with a family member. Familiar surroudnings made a HUGE difference.


over 12 years, said...

Nowhere have I seen a question or answer about my loved one having no self awareness of her condition. She adamantly denies she has dementia.


almost 13 years, said...

I think passionflower is helpful, also--it calms & orders the mind, but is not sedating on its own. It will help with sleep when combined with melatonin, valerian, l-tryptophan & chamomile, as in the supplement "Sleep MD".


almost 13 years, said...

I wonder if melatonin would also be helpful to reset some ones biological clock. My daughters neurologist started her on Melatonin when she started having trouble with her days and nights getting confused. He said her vision impairment was causing the problem since light triggers melatonin production and blind people often have this problembecause the light is not able to make the optic nerve send messages to the part of the brain that would then cause the normal production of melatonin. Certainly putting a high intensity light might be of some benifit if this is what is going on. It would trigger melatonin production. But the problem is in the production of melatonin itself then it would make more sense to try giving melatonin directly. It can be smashed up in apple sauce and still be effective. So swallowing it would not be a problem. It did take a bit of trail and error to find the best dose. We give it about two hours before bed time and keep as close to a regular bedtime schedule as we can.


almost 13 years, said...

Thank you for that brilliant article. I am a dedicated believer in the need to use "dementia sense' more frequently than 'common sense". This is illustrates the difference beautifully. Most parents would deal with their child's bedtime fears by comforting, having a night light and encouraging the child to check for itself. With dementia sense we know that time disorientation requires us to align our time with theirs if we are going to tune-in and promote well-being.


almost 13 years, said...

This article has provided me some additonal information to assist an individual who may be experincing symptoms of "sundowning' throughout the day and night. Great information. Glad to find this site.


almost 13 years, said...

Explanation of the physiological causes associated with "sundowners".


almost 13 years, said...

Learning that there was such a condition. Althought not an issue at this time, It's good to know about it and where to obtain information if and when it does happen. Thanks


about 13 years, said...

Hi Anonymous, Thanks for your comment. You may be able to get some great advice from other caregivers on your situation in our forums section, located here: (http://www.caring.com/forums). I hope that helps. -- Emily


about 13 years, said...

My Mom is 82 and has been hearing noises and sometimes sees people at night.. we are just putting pieces together. She lives alone and is still driving and other than being a little forgetful, is in great health and her passion is cleaning. She has no hobbies and is not interested in getting any. Her only activities are cooking and cleaning. Is there anything we can do for her now? We live different towns and states from her and are very worried because she has gotten worse in the last 6 mo. Her Mom and Dad had some of these symptoms.


about 13 years, said...

Though my mother has AD and I have found things that work for her at her stage of AD. She has sundowners, does fine during the day and once we can get her up in the morning, which she usually resists, She may be irratated and say she is to sick to get up, but forgets it after she is up and says she is fine. Smile, laugh and tell them a funny story, try to keep the mood around them happy.This works best with ones that are still aware in the moment. Sometimes to get them to do something, you have to tell harmless little white lies for their sake. I tell my mom I came to have coffee with her or have dinner with her and visit. Tho she forgets quickly, it satisfied her and she cooperates and will get out of bed. I work at the facility so when I get her to the dining room I go about my work and all is fine for the time being.


about 13 years, said...

My mother age 87 went in the hospital for pneumonia in Jan. and came out with sundowners. No one explained it to us. She stays awake for 41 hours straight while she was in rehab so they sedated her for 2.5 days. We took her home for a week and had to take her back to the nursing home to try to get help. Anytime ofer the 24 hour period she would be up. It is now a month later. In the last week the longest time she slept was 5 hours one night otherwise it is 15 min. here and 10 min. there. She is extremely irrated. They are trying to adjust meds. but she is still up most of the time. If she lays down it is up and down continually. She keeps saying she is scared and wants to go home. She told the Dr. that she is afraid no one wants her, but family members are with her about 12 hours daily. It is a real nightmare!


about 13 years, said...

We have several very close relatives, in-laws and parents who are in their late 80's. Thanks to this information and insight, we now have a plan on how to better care for these people. Thank you


about 13 years, said...

Hi Kathyf, Thanks for your comment. This sounds like a great question for our Ask & Answer section located here: http://www.caring.com/ask. Good luck. -- Emily | Community Manager


about 13 years, said...

My mother is 84, she constantly thinks my granddaughter is with her...and could someone please come and get her...she sees her in the middle of the night, sometimes mornings she thinks she is in her bed sleeping or crying...and wants to know when her mother is coming for her...my granddaughter is 7...but the confusion is always about her...is this sundowners syndrome....is there something I can do to reassure her that my granddaughter is not there..


about 13 years, said...

thank you


about 13 years, said...

I had not thought to associate my wife's difficulties with the time of day. I am watching Biorythms for both me and her to help me identify when the difficult times might occur. I have had some success with this


over 13 years, said...

One more thing, as long as your loved one will meet your eyes, be sure you make as much eye contact as possible with them especially when speaking to them. It helps maintain a sense of personhood. Many times, we are dealing with our own resentments and we don't want to make eye contact. Usually we don't realize we are doing this. Experiment : Try going a whole day without making eye contact with anyone and see how you feel about it.


over 13 years, said...

Years ago, my father-in-law was in hospital for an extended stay and developed "sundowning." I researched the hospital library to find out what was wrong with him. The nurses agreed after I brought it up. We solved it several ways. My mom-in-law pushed his wheelchair down the hall to a lobby room which had south facing windows.(His room had north windows.) She did this at about 4:00-4:30 in the afternoon. My husband and I came to visit at that time and brought some kind of surprise.. deck of cards to play a game, polka music on tape recorder and we danced too ! Once we brought some large balloons and knocked them around. Other patients enjoyed it with us. By the time the sun outside was going down, his supper was delivered to his room. We spoke of the sunset going on outside. We brought our own food and ate with him. There were no more incidents of sundowning. The nurses were so complimentary of what it had done for him and others, and made their jobs easier.


over 13 years, said...

very helpful and suggestions will be put to use.


over 13 years, said...

My aunt is 70 and she's been having hallucinations she's been seeing ppl and. Hearing them for over a week now she even feels them touching her and this only happens at night time. I'm so worried I don't know what to do. Does this sound like its sundown syndrome?


over 13 years, said...

marcia0649--that sounds like delirium, and it's common. (Type "delirium" in the search box to learn more.) It's great your mom had no lasting ill effects.


over 13 years, said...

Understanding my mother's behaviour in the afternoons. I am also told by the girls at the Nursing Home that she becomes agitated and refuses to get out of bed from her afternoon's rest to go to the dining room for her evening meal. Sometimes she gets feisty and throws kicks at them while saying that she will not get out of bed or does not want to eat. It is obvious that she is confused about the time of day and the need to have dinner before going to bed for the night's rest.


over 13 years, said...

My sister was just operated on and had full anesthesia. She was very confused for 2 days while in the hospital and thought aliens were attacking her, nurses were trying to capture her and other odd behavior that she never experienced before. The doctor said it was sundown syndrome. Does this mean she is on the verge of dementia? She is fine now and remembers her thoughts and behavior as embarrassing. What caused this?


over 13 years, said...

I care for 3 elderly patients aging from 61 to 93 years of age. My mother is the 93 year old and has recently shown signs of increased agitation toward bedtime. She becomes verbally abusive and I am trying to rule out sundowner's. The 88 year old had been diagnosed with dementia which is progressing. The articles clearly help in pinpointing symptoms & potential causes.


over 13 years, said...

Does the Sundown Syndrome have various stages similar to other forms of dementia? I have been told that my mother-in-law's condition was mild, but I have been noticing more unusual behaviours when I go visit her at the rethab center. I would like to understand all the phases and how to handle it. We hope to bring her home as soon as she's recovered suffiiciently from her hip fracture. I am her primary caregiver with lots of help from her son (my husband). I;m sure he'd like to know too.


over 13 years, said...

Describing symptoms of sundown syndrome in layman's terms was very helpful, and the suggestions on helping the patient was very insightful. My mother-in-law also has mascular degeneration and has been showing signs of this dementia for some time now. It never occurred to me that her short-term memory loss was a mild form of dementia and not just age-related -- she is 94!


almost 14 years, said...

My mom also has a miniagioma on the front part of her brain. The doctor said that she would die if she had surgery. her walking is so slow and she is unsure of where to step when she walks. She gets very bitter with us at times. Her short term memory is not good. My question is what does she have that causes all these symptoms? She also has sundowners. The evenings are hard for her and she stares into space.


about 14 years, said...

what will most likely happen to a person if they do not get their medication when they have alzeimer's?


about 14 years, said...

My Mother-in-law has a Mingemino brain tumor. She has had it for close to 30 years. Her eye sight in her right eye has been gone for 15 years, the tumor applied pressure to the optical nerve this past summer and took the vision int he left. She is 84 years old. After surgery there was very little vision regained. She can tell the difference between day and night and see shadows. The suregery was a bout 5 months ago. She is not having hallucinations and they are only at night time, she has seen a woman holding a baby, lepercons, men on fence, and most recently ladders on the out side of her house and someone breaking in the upstairs window. With two feet of snow we can tell there was no activity around the house. Please lend suggestions of how to handle these conversations. When she tells us about the hallucinations the next morning she is convinced it was all real and is sure we think she is going crazy.


almost 15 years, said...

While I was changing planes in Atlanta, I was asked by an elderly gentleman to please talk with his wife, who had Alzheimers and was having sundown. The husband and wife were supposed to catch a plane to Chicago, to meet their daughter. The wife had insisted on getting out of her wheelchair, to sit in an airport chair, that was halfway to their gate. The wife refused to go to the gate to get onto their plane. She said that their daughter would come to Atlanta to meet her. The airline employees said that they would never force a person to board a plane against their will. (Which I can understand.) The husband tried to reason with his wife, which of course did not work. I had to catch my plane, so I did not see the end. My mother now has Alzheimers and my father has Parkinson's. What can a care giver do in a simular situation, when the person with sundown will not move, when it is necessry?


over 15 years, said...

My mother-in-law has had 3 bad spells of hallucinations, after those 3 days she calmed back down and hasn't had anymore since. They were always after sundown. Is this common for them to come and go like that?