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What Are Some of the Most Common Sundowning Triggers?

Elderly Care in Dunwoody GA

Sundowning is a term used to describe something that can tend to occur later in the day in people who have dementia. It can manifest in a variety of ways from simple confusion to anger, agitation, and greater than usual memory loss.Elderly-Care-in-Dunwoody-GA

Low Light as the Sun Starts to Set

As the sun sets, the light in your loved one’s home changes, which changes how shadows and other items that are normally not a problem look to your loved one. If your loved one has other difficulties with vision, this can make the situation worse. One way you can work around this is to make note of when the light is starting to change in late afternoon and start turning on interior lights before the sun is completely gone. This can help to minimize the issue if it’s a trigger for your loved one.

The Time of Year

Fall and winter can be a bigger trigger for your elderly loved one than spring or summer. This can particularly be the case if your loved one has been affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder in the past. Talk with your loved one’s doctor about what you can do to help resolve this problem during the shorter days of fall and winter. One option might be a special light that mimics sunlight.

Too Much Going on or Tiredness at the End of the Day

When there is a lot of activity or your loved one has had a long, tiring day, sundowning may not take much to trigger at all. Your loved one might also be thrown off balance by having a moderately busy day and then suddenly there’s nothing going on. One way you can lessen this trigger is help your loved one to get enough rest throughout the day and to gradually wind activities down at the end of the day.

Unknown Triggers

There are other triggers that can cause issues for your elderly loved one. Dietary issues, hormonal imbalances, or problems with your loved one’s Circadian rhythms can all contribute to sundowning. Some medications may also have side effects that make sundowning more common for your elderly loved one. These types of triggers may take some trial and error to figure out.

Work with your loved one’s doctors and elderly care providers to determine the primary sundowning triggers for your elderly loved one.

If you or an aging family member are considering hiring in-home elderly care in Dunwoody, GA, please contact the caring staff at Caring Companions of Atlanta 470-514-5954 .

We provide quality non-medical services to our clients in their homes or in a facility if that’s where they live. Our staff is available for care plans for extensive care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or as little as 4 hours per visit. Reach out to us, and one of our outstanding administrative staff will meet with potential clients to assist them and their families in designing an effective, personal plan of care.

Adam Seever, Owner
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About Adam Seever, Owner

The son of two social workers, Adam grew up in Chicago and lived there for over 30 years. He began his career at a Chicago-based marketing services agency determined to make his mark in the industry. In 1997 Adam moved to Atlanta while working for the Coca-Cola Company, where he spent 8 years in their sports marketing division. Adam left Coke in 2001 to join Clear Channel Entertainment and later went on to work both domestically and internationally for the World's largest sports agency, International Management Group. Adam eventually worked as a consultant and spearheaded numerous high profile projects including the building of Coke’s iconic Coke bottle at Turner Field in Atlanta. While Adam always felt lucky to have worked in the exciting world of marketing, he also felt the need to participate in something with more of a connection to the community. That quest eventually led him to earn his CNA degree and become an owner of Caring Companions of Atlanta, LLC.
Adam is married and he and his wife have two younger children. The family shares their home with two cats and two hermit crabs. The kids are working hard to get mommy and daddy to add a puppy...time will tell! They live in Sandy Springs and are active in the senior community.